One-dimensional measurement of metal elements in aerosols based on femtosecond laser-extended electrode discharge spectroscopy (FEEDS) technique

In-situ measurements of elements in aerosols are of great importance in the treatment of industrial wastewater in aeration mode. Here, we propose that the metallic elements in aerosols can be measured by femtosecond laser-extended discharge spectroscopy. One-dimensional spatially resolved spectra of the metallic elements were measured. The peak area ratio is linearly correlated with the elemental concentration, proving that femtosecond laser-extended discharge plasma spectroscopy can be used to measure the elemental concentration of metals in aerosols. Moreover, by analyzing the signal-to-noise ratio, we demonstrated that the measurement limits of the proposed method can reach the parts per million (ppm) level. In addition, we demonstrated that femtosecond laser-extended discharge plasma spectrometry can be used for simultaneous on-line measurement of multiple elements in one dimension. Finally, femtosecond laser-extended discharge plasma spectroscopy was applied to the spatial distribution measurement of each metal element to reveal the diffusion characteristics of the elements. Femtosecond laser-extended discharge plasma spectroscopy provides a new method for elemental measurements.