Advances in Instrument Design and Utilization

A new set of standards for measuring fluorescence quantum yields has been proposed. The reference compoimds are photostable and their emission yields are relatively insensitive to the presence of dissolved oxygen. Procedures for correcting spectral data for changes in refractive index have been proposed for both solutions and suspensions. Likewise, problems arising from inner-filter effects have been reconsidered in light of corrections to Stern-Volmer constants and improved cell design.  

A low cost fluorescence lifetime apparatus, based on the phase-modulafion technique, has been described while a new design has been suggested for a photon-counting fluorescence spectrometer that allows rapid accumulation of decay data. A variety of improvements have been suggested for fluores- 

Imbusch, Proc. Electrochem. Soc., 1999, 98 (Physics and Chemistry of Luminescent Materials), 1. 

Jortner, M. Bixon and M. A. Ratner, Proc. Indian Acad. ScL, Chem. Sci., 1997, 109, 365. 

Bixon and J. Jortner, Adv. Chem. Phys., 1999, 106 (Electron Transfer From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules), 35. 

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Several recent advances in instrument design have enhanced the applicability of mid-IR techniques. The first and most important was the replacement of dispersive IR with Fourier transform spectrometers (FT lk) (see figure 5.28). Dispersive instruments utilized an infrared energy source and a monochromator such as a grating... 

A spectrum of synthetic water-soluble polymers is available and utilized daily in areas such as the production of energy, clean water, and industrial and personal care products that enhance our quality of life. It is hard to imagine what our world would be like without than. Advances continue to be made in the areas of new polyma design, production, and in the instrumentation and methods utilized for monitoring polymerizations. There is unlimited opportunity for researchers in academia and industry alike to develop and utilize cost-effective monitoring tools in water-soluble polyma production. Increased use of online monitoring tools at the commercial-scale will allow for improved production efficiency, reduced product variability, and the accommodation and tighter control of more complex processes. 

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