Reagentless water and surface sensors employing laser induced native fluorescence (LINF) and resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) in the deep UV are making significant progress in detecting chemical and biological targets and differentiating them against a wide range of background materials. Methods for optimizing sensor performance for specific target and backgrounds materials will be discussed in relationship to closed industrial environments and open natural environments. Limits of detection and chemical specificity will be discussed for high and low spectral resolution systems for a wide range of compounds and composite particles such as spores and cells. Detection and identification of single spores at working distance of several meters is illustrated. A range of sensors will be described along with their physical and performance specifications including sample, sipper and immersion sensors for water and fixed point and scanner systems for surfaces. In addition, the use of UV LINF and RRS for detection in capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography will be described with limits of detection in the range of a few nmol L^-1.

Date Published: 25 October 2006
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 6378, Chemical and Biological Sensors for Industrial and Environmental Monitoring II, 63780S (25 October 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.686487

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6378:
Chemical and Biological Sensors for Industrial and Environmental Monitoring II
Steven D. Christesen; Arthur J. Sedlacek III; James B. Gillespie; Kenneth J. Ewing, Editor(s)