Self-Absorption Correction Method Based on Blackbody Radiation Referenced-Particle Swarm Optimization

Abstract

Enhancing the precision of quantitative analysis in calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CFLIBS) requires a thorough understanding of self-absorption correction techniques. This work introduces blackbody radiation referenced-particle swarm optimization (BRR-PSO) as a self-absorption correction technique. This method compares the measured spectral intensity to blackbody radiation using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to enable quick self-absorption correction. Corrected spectral intensities are obtained by iteratively refining initial values using the PSO optimization technique. Experiments were conducted on alloy samples to verify the efficacy of this method. The results show that as compared to the traditional CF-LIBS methodology, the CF-LIBS with the BRR-PSO method significantly improves the mean relative error (MRE). The MRE decreased from a range of ~27.35–43.75% to ~5.14–7.86% for the six alloy samples. For Fe I, Mn I, Cr I, Mo I, C I, and Si I, the Boltzmann plot linear fi t coefficient of determination (R²) increased from 0.9220, 0.8050, 0.8801, 0.7102, 0.9064, and 0.9146 to 0.9887, 0.9813, 0.9662, 0.9809, 0.9542, and 0.9459, respectively. By greatly increasing both quantitative analysis accuracy and adaptability, the CF-LIBS approach improved with BRR-PSO demonstrating a clear advantage over conventional CF-LIBS. This development makes CF-LIBS technology more dependable and adaptable for real-world analysis, which is crucial for extending its useful applications.