Quantitative analysis of pottery glaze by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been applied for the analysis of old pottery glaze. The plasma is generated by focusing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser on the target at air atmospheric pressure. Quantitative analysis was performed on a number of glass bead samples, and a linear calibration curve with a slope of near unity was obtained. The major glaze elements such as Fe, Ca, Mg, Al and Si were analyzed, and the results were compared with X-ray fluorescence method. Elemental analysis showed that the glaze color difference were due to Fe content variation. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.