Study of binary lead‑tin alloys using a new procedure based on calibration-free laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract

The objective of this work is to present a novel procedure based on the time resolved Boltzmann plot, and theCalibration-free Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy techniques, to determine the composition of the samplesby exploiting the temporal evolution of the spectral lines generated in the laser-produced plasma. As an exampleof the application of this procedure, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra were acquired on binarylead – tin alloys of different composition at several delay times, from 1 to 4 μs with a step of 0.5 μs after the onsetof the plasma.The matrix change of the alloys was studied through the determination of the constants that characterize thetemporal evolution of plasma. The effects of self-absorption were also taken into account and compensated. Theapplication of the proposed method allowed us to determine the concentrations of lead (Pb) and tin (Sn) in thealloys with an error lower than 5%.