This is the 30th annual review of the application of atomic spectrometry to the chemical analysis of environmental samples. This Update refers to papers published approximately between August 2013 and July 2014 and continues the series of Atomic Spectrometry Updates (ASUs) in environmental analysis that should be read in conjunction with other related ASUs in the series, namely: clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages, advances in atomic spectrometry and related techniques, elemental speciation,X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and the analysis of metals, chemicals and functional materials. In the field of air analysis, highlights within this review period included: the use of 3D printing technology for the rapid prototyping of new air sampler components; single particle ICP-MS studies; use of a new triple-quadrupole ICP-MS for the analysis of radioactive species and the use of FEG-SEM and IBA for the analysis of gun-shot residues. In the field of water analysis, methods continue to be developed: for the extraction and preconcentration of elements; speciation of As, Cr, Hg and Sb forms and determination of elemental constituents in colloidal and NP fractions. Instrumental developments reported include the use of MC-ICP-MS for isotopic tracer studies and a review of XRF techniques and associated preconcentration procedures for trace element analysis. Many articles featuring the analysis of plants and soils appeared but, as usual, most focused on environmental applications rather than the advancement of atomic spectrometry. There have, however, been interesting developments, such as the almost bewildering increase in types of micro-extraction for analyte preconcentration and the resurgence of CS-AAS. Clearly LIBS is maturing rapidly, with soil analysis becoming more routine in nature. Also notable was the way the accident at the Fukishima-Daiichi nuclear power plant triggered development of analytical methods for the assessment of contamination in the surrounding area. Recent research indicates that geological applications still drives many of the instrumental and methodological advances in LA-ICP-MS. Fundamental studies continue to shed light on the processes involved and hence ways of improving the analysis of laser-produced aerosols. The preparation of NP powders for the production of matrix-matched RMs for microanalytical techniques such as LA-ICP-MS and SIMS showed great promise for addressing one of the major issues when analysing geological materials by these techniques. Steady advances in MC-ICP-MS methodology is feeding through to applications in isotope geochemistry, while new SIMS instrumentation is being directed towards probing fine growth structures in biogenic carbonates and inferring past climate conditions from their geochemistry. Feedback on this review is most welcome and the review coordinator can be contacted using the email address provided.

/pdf/atomic-spectrometry-update-a-review-of-advances-in-2r8uzbiose.pdf

Atomic spectrometry update – a review of advances in environmental analysis

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a remarkable elemental detection and quantification technique used in various fields, including science, medicine, engineering, and industries. This review focuses on the recent progress and challenges in applying LIBS for geotechnical engineering applications. The paper also discusses the widely employed calibration-free LIBS methods such as chemometrics, artificial neural networks (ANN), and support vector machine (SVM) for quantifying constituent elements. The various applications of LIBS in geosciences, such as in mineralogy, soil studies, rocks investigations, and fluid analysis, have also been presented. Despite the robustness of LIBS in soil studies, it is hitherto challenging to investigate some soil physical parameters. In general, chemical applications such as contamination detection and nutrients are based on detecting certain elements or ions. On the other hand, physical and mechanical applications such as soil texture and soil humification degree may require the usage of a correlation between the chemical elements and the desired parameters. This work, therefore, summarizes how LIBS works with different materials and its current uses in determining the physical or mechanical properties of soils and presents the possibilities of this technology in the field of Geotechnical Engineering. 

Applications of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in geotechnical engineering: a critical review of recent developments, perspectives and challenges

This review covers advances in the analysis of air, water, plants, soils and geological materials by a range of atomic spectrometric techniques including atomic emission, absorption, fluorescence and mass spectrometry. 

/pdf/atomic-spectrometry-update-a-review-of-advances-in-gds7itzr.pdf

In order to enhance the stability and lower the detection limit of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technology, gelatin was introduced into the test solution in this study to enrich heavy metals using the coffee ring effect. The effects of different gelatin mass fractions on the surface deposition morphology of droplets and the intensity of spectroscopy were analyzed. Explored the spectral enhancement mechanisms of four substrate materials. The results demonstrated that the best coffee ring enrichment was achieved with a gelatin mass fraction of 2.5 %. The signal-to-noise ratios of Cu and Cr were enhanced by 5.5 and 3.6, and the relative standard deviations decreased by 59.5 % and 53.8 %. When Zn plate was used as the substrate material, the detection limits for Cu and Cr were 0.715 mg/L and 3.881 mg/L. The research indicates that surface-enhanced LIBS based on coffee ring enrichment can improve spectral stability and lower the detection limit. 

Research on water heavy metal element detection using surface-enhanced LIBS based on coffee ring enrichment

Because of their strong surface evanescent field, micro-/nanofibers have been used to develop optical sensors and modulation devices with a high performance and integration [...].

/pdf/micro-nano-fiber-sensors-and-optical-integration-devices-t5q9qmfs.pdf

Micro-/Nano-Fiber Sensors and Optical Integration Devices

A tomographic microscopy system can achieve instantaneous three-dimensional imaging, and this type of microscopy system has been widely used in the study of biological samples; however, existing chromatographic microscopes based on off-axis Fresnel zone plates have degraded image quality due to geometric aberrations such as spherical aberration, coma aberration, and image scattering. This issue hinders the further development of chromatographic microscopy systems. In this paper, we propose a method for the design of an off-axis Fresnel zone plate with the elimination of aberrations based on double exposure point holographic surface interference. The aberration coefficient model of the optical path function was used to solve the optimal recording parameters, and the principle of the aberration elimination tomography microscopic optical path was verified. The simulation and experimental verification were carried out utilizing a Seidel coefficient, average gradient, and signal-to-noise ratio. First, the aberration coefficient model of the optical path function was used to solve the optimal recording parameters. Then, the laminar mi-coroscopy optical system was constructed for the verification of the principle. Finally, the simulation calculation results and the experimental results were verified by comparing the Seidel coefficient, average gradient, and signal-to-noise ratio of the microscopic optical system before and after the aberration elimination. The results show that for the diffractive light at the orders 0 and ±1, the spherical aberration W040 decreases by 62–70%, the coma aberration W131 decreases by 96–98%, the image dispersion W222 decreases by 71–82%, and the field curvature W220 decreases by 96–96%, the average gradient increases by 2.8%, and the signal-to-noise ratio increases by 18%.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/3/1113/pdf?version=1643707445

Study of the Off-Axis Fresnel Zone Plate of a Microscopic Tomographic Aberration

Fast on‐site detection of potentially toxic metals in soils is crucial for soil remediation and contamination monitoring. The moisture in soils is a challenge for quantitative analysis of potentially toxic metals. Here, we used laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) for fast on‐site quantitative analysis of potentially toxic metals in wet soil samples. The model offered direct measurement of the moisture content in soil samples: the coefficient of determination (R2) value and the root‐mean‐square error of prediction (RMSEP) of predicted moisture content were 0.98% and 1.3%, respectively. The correlation between laser ablation factor and moisture content of the samples was determined by analysing the influence of sample moisture content on laser ablation. Quantitative analysis of wet soil samples based on ablation factor was established with an R2 of 0.97. Potentially toxic elemental Cu and Cr in sample 4# were verified by the quantitative analysis model through weighing and direct measurement. The relative error of concentration was within 10%, and the accuracy was improved by over 80%. The preliminary results show that the quantitative analysis model of potentially toxic metals in wet soil samples based on LIBS technology can detect potentially toxic metals in wet soil samples quickly and accurately on‐site. This has important guiding significance for real‐time and on‐site monitoring of contaminated soils.

Establishment and evaluation of a quantitative analysis model for potentially toxic metals in wet soil samples by LIBS

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Study of the Off-Axis Fresnel Zone Plate of a Microscopic Tomographic Aberration

Establishment and evaluation of a quantitative analysis model for potentially toxic metals in wet soil samples by LIBS