Influence of laser wavelength and laser energy on depth profiling of easel painting samples

• Published in: Chemical papers Vol. 73; no. 12; pp. 2937 - 2943
• Main Authors: Pospíšilová, E., Novotný, K., Pořízka, P., Hradilová, J., Kaiser, J., Kanický, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-12-2019
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Medicinal Chemistry; Original Paper; Ablation craters; LIBS; Fluorine detection
• ISSN: 2585-7290; 1336-9075
• DOI: 10.1007/s11696-019-00803-z

The depth-resolved analysis by means of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a useful tool in the investigation of multi-layered structures of paintings. The LIBS technique is considered micro-destructive, as it is associated with the formation of the ablation crater. It is important to optimize the laser pulse parameters to minimize the crater size and also to avoid some possible side effects of the laser radiation, such as the material redeposition and the light- or heat-induced pigment discoloration. In the present work, mock-up painting samples were used to investigate the influence of laser radiation characteristics on the ablation process. The first LIBS set-up contains a Nd:YAG laser at the second harmonic frequency (laser wavelength 532 nm, pulse duration ~ 10 ns) and the second set-up is comprised of a modified laser-ablation system equipped with a Nd:YAG laser at the fourth harmonic frequency (laser wavelength 266 nm, pulse duration ~ 5 ns). The influence of different laser wavelengths and different laser energies on the properties of the craters was examined. The effects caused by the laser-ablation process were described.