Enhancement of signal intensity of elements in human blood serum using a metal mesh-enhanced CO2 laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in ambient He gas

Abstract

Accurate and reliable identification and analysis of the elemental composition of human blood serum is of utmost importance. The present investigation included the analysis of human blood serums for elemental composition using a metal mesh-supported CO₂ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy under a helium gas environment at atmospheric pressure. In this study, a pulsed transversely excited atmospheric CO₂ laser with a wavelength of 10.64 µm and a pulse duration of 200 ns was applied to irradiate the human blood serum film placed on a copper metal to induce a luminous plasma. A significant increment of elemental signal intensity occurs by introducing a metal mesh covering the serum film. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have been conducted on the human blood serum's major, minor, and trace elements. The concentrations of elements in the human blood are estimated to be 9160 parts per million (ppm) for carbon (C), 174 ppm for calcium (Ca), 600 ppm for potassium (K), 1410 ppm for magnesium (Mg), 343 ppm for phosphorus (P), 2180 ppm for sodium (Na), and 48 ppm for iron (Fe). The results of the CO₂ LIBS method demonstrate a high level of concurrence with the results obtained by the conventional XRF method.