Investigating the effects of laser wavelengths and other ablation parameters on the detection of biogenic elements and contaminants in hydroxyapatite

The main purpose of this work is to thoroughly describe sensitivity and resolution enhancement by systematically optimizing key parameters in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis. Simultaneous analysis of biogenic (C, P, Mg, and Ca) and contaminating (Pb) elements, which are commonly detected in selected biotic matrices (mammal teeth), was performed. Hydroxyapatite reference pellets were utilized as model matrices, which successfully reflect human dental tissue. The optimization involved precise adjustments of the used laser wavelengths (1064, 532, and 266 nm), relative defocus of the laser pulse, ablation pulse energies, and gate delays for collecting characteristic spectra. In addition, for Ca analysis, the signals of different ionization line types (Ca I 364.44 nm; Ca II 370.60 and 396.85 nm) were compared; in the case of Pb analysis, the limits of detection were established for each used laser wavelength, and the revealed differences were discussed in detail. We intend to demonstrate the benefits of rapid, low-cost analysis and also the importance of measurement parameters used in biotic sample testing.