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This update covers the literature published between approximately June 2021 and May 2022 and is the latest part of a series of annual reviews. It is designed to provide the reader with an overview of the current state of the art with respect to the atomic spectrometric analysis of various metals, chemicals and materials. These materials include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glasses, polymers, ceramics, engineered nanostructures, fuels, nuclear materials, building materials, catalysts and electronic components. Also included is the analysis of forensic samples such as explosives and gunshot residue. It is not a comprehensive review of all papers that have used an atomic spectrometric technique. Instead, it includes only those papers that have some novelty through making an advance in either knowledge or the application of atomic spectrometry. Those papers that maximise the information gleaned from analytical data, e.g. the provenance of cultural heritage or forensic samples, through the use of chemometric analysis will also be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a large increase in the number of papers published that are relevant to this review over this review period. The growth in popularity of LIBS is rapid, with applications being published for most sample types. This is undoubtedly because of its capability to analyse in situ on a production line (hence saving time and money) and its minimally destructive nature meaning that both forensic and cultural heritage samples may be analysed. It also has a standoff analysis capability meaning that hazardous materials, e.g. explosives or nuclear materials, may be analysed from a safe distance. The use of mathematical algorithms in conjunction with LIBS to enable improved accuracy has proved a popular area of research. This is especially true for ferrous and non-ferrous samples. Similarly, chemometric techniques have been used with LIBS to aid in the sorting of polymers and other materials. An increase in the number of papers in the subject area of alternative fuels was noted. This was at the expense of papers describing methods for the analysis of crude oils. For nanomaterials, previous years have seen a huge number of single particle and field flow fractionation characterisations. Although several such papers are still being published, the focus seems to be switching to applications of the nanoparticles and the mechanistic aspects of how they retain or bind with other analytes. This is the latest review covering the topic of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials. It follows on from last year's review 1–6 and is part of the Atomic Spectrometry Updates series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]