Quantitative Analysis of Cerium-Gallium Alloys Using a Hand-Held Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Device

A hand-held laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy device was used to acquire spectral emission data from laser-induced plasmas created on the surface of cerium-gallium alloy samples with Ga concentrations ranging from 0-3 weight percent. Ionic and neutral emission lines of the two constituent elements were then extracted and used to generate calibration curves relating the emission line intensity ratios to the gallium concentration of the alloy. The Ga I 287.4-nm emission line was determined to be superior for the purposes of Ga detection and concentration determination. A limit of detection below 0.25% was achieved using a multivariate regression model of the Ga I 287.4-nm line ratio versus two separate Ce II emission lines. This LOD is considered a conservative estimation of the technique's capability given the type of the calibration samples available and the low power (5 mJ per 1-ns pulse) and resolving power (lambda/Delta lambda = 4000) of this hand-held device. Nonetheless, the utility of the technique is demonstrated via a detailed mapping analysis of the surface Ga distribution of a Ce-Ga sample, which reveals significant heterogeneity resulting from the sample production process.