Luminescence instrumentation filters

The basic components of luminescence instrumentation are generally arranged as shown in Fig. 1. The sample is placed in a sample cell and excited by either ultraviolet or visible light from a source. A filter or monochromator may select a particular excitation... 

Several solid surfaces, such as filter paper, sodium acetate, and silica gel chromatoplates with a polyacrylate binder, have been used in solid-surface luminescence work (1,2). Experimentally it is relatively easy to prepare samples for analysis. With filter paper, for example, a small volume of sample solution is spotted onto the surface, the filter paper is dried, and then the measurement is made. In many cases, an inert gas is passed over the surface during the measurement step to enhance the RTF signal. For powdered samples, the sample preparation procedure is somewhat more involved. Commercial instruments can be readily used to measure the luminescence signals, and a variety of research instruments have been developed to obtain the solid-surface luminescence data (1,2). 

Luminescence Lidar (light Detection and Ranging) is an active instrument, which sends out coherent waves to the object concerned. A fraction of the transmitted energy is transformed by the objects and sends back to the sensor. lidar instriunents measure both the traveUng time interval between sensor/object/sensor as well as the difference between emitted and returning energy, providing information on the exact position of the objects and on the material the objects are made of. Spectral selectivity was achieved usually with the aid of narrow band interference filters. 

This paper reports on research involved the design, construction, and evaluation of a portable instrument, a "luminoscope", for detecting skin contamination by coal tars via induced fluorescence. The instrument has been used in the laboratory to measure the fluorescence of various coal tars and recycle solvents from liquefaction processes spotted on filter paper on rat and on hamster skin. The practical use of the devices in field test measurements to monitor skin contamination of workers at coal gasifier is discussed. The paper also discusses the practicality and usefulness of the luminescence method for detecting skin contamination. 

The excitation wavelength selector can be either a filter or a monochromator. Filters offer better detection Hmits, but do not provide spectral scanning capabilities. Often, a filter is used in the excitation beam along with a monochromator in the emission beam to allow emission spectra to be acquired. FuU emission and excitation spectral information can be acquired only if monochromators are used in both the excitation and emission beams. In modern instruments with array detectors, a polychromator is used in the emission beam instead of a monochromator. Recent research instraments are able to scan both wavelengths automatically and combine all data into a 2D excitation—emission spectrum. In lifetime spectrometers, a pulsed light source and a gated detector are synchronized in order to measure the time dependence of the luminescence emission. 

Several different schemes are used to correct luminescence spectra for some of the many variables that influence them. Source stability, source spectral distribution, inner filter effects, efficiencies of optical components, and spectral responses of instrument components are among the variables that can influence luminescence intensities and spectra. Many instru-... 

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