Journal of Physical Chemistry & Biophysics
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0398
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0398
+44 1478 350008
V K Unnikrishnan1, Rajesh Nayak1, Sujatha Bhat2, Stanley Mathew3, V B Kartha1and C Santhosh1
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Phys Chem Biophys
In recent years, LIBS has been shown to be a versatile elemental analysis tool attracting increased attention because of the broad range of applications. LIBS can be used for analysis of both environmental samples and physiological samples (tissue and body fluids). Conventional spectroscopy techniques like inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) are good in analytical performance, but their sample preparation method is destructive and environmentally hazardous. All these methods are capable of analysing only one element at a time. Compared to these methods, LIBS has numerous potential advantages such as simplicity in the experimental setup, less sample preparation, less destructive analysis of sample etc. In this paper, we report some of the biomedical applications of LIBS. From the experiments carried out on clinical samples (calcified tissues or teeth and gall stones) for trace elemental mapping and detection, it was found that LIBS is a robust tool for such applications. It is seen that the presence and relative concentrations of major elements (calcium, phosphorus and magnesium) in human calcified tissue (tooth) can be easily determined using LIBS technique. The importance of this study comes in anthropology where tooth and bone are main samples from which reliable data can be easily retrieved. Similarly, elemental composition of bile juice and gall stone collected from the same subject using LIBS was found to be similar. The results show interesting prospects for LIBS to study cholelithiasis (the presence of stones in the gall bladder, is a common disease of the gastrointestinal tract) better.
Unnikrishnan has completed his PhD from Manipal University and currently working as an Associate Professor @ Department of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Manipal University. He has published more than 15 papers in peer reviewed journals and is a life member of Indian Laser Association.