White LEDs as broad spectrum light sources for spectrophotometry: demonstration in the visible spectrum range in a diode-array spectrophotometric detector

Although traditional lamps, such as deuterium lamps, are suitable for bench-top instrumentation, their compatibility with the requirements of modern miniaturized instrumentation is limited. This study investigates the option of utilizing solid-state light source technology, namely white LEDs, as a broad band spectrum source for spectrophotometry. Several white light LEDs of both RGB and white phosphorus have been characterized in terms of their emission spectra and energy output and a white phosphorus Luxeon LED was then chosen for demonstration as a light source for visible-spectrum spectrophotometry conducted in CE. The Luxeon LED was fixed onto the base of a dismounted deuterium (D(2) ) lamp so that the light-emitting spot was geometrically positioned exactly where the light-emitting spot of the original D(2) lamp is placed. In this manner, the detector of a commercial CE instrument equipped with a DAD was not modified in any way. As the detector hardware and electronics remained the same, the change of the deuterium lamp for the Luxeon white LED allowed a direct comparison of their performances. Several anionic dyes as model analytes with absorption maxima between 450 and 600 nm were separated by CE in an electrolyte of 0.01 mol/L sodium tetraborate. The absorbance baseline noise as the key parameter was 5 × lower for the white LED lamp, showing clearly superior performance to the deuterium lamp in the available, i.e. visible part of the spectrum.     

Coherent forward scattering spectrometry of manganese and chromium using a xenon lamp and a tellurous oxide acousto-optic tunable filter

Coherent forward scattering spectrometry has capabilities of simultaneous multielement analysis and simple instrumentation. Considering these features the authors used a xenon lamp as a continuous excitation light source and a tellurous oxide acousto-optic tunable filter as a scanning monochromator. This simple system was applied to the simultaneous determination of manganese and chromium. An analytical procedure for the determination of manganese in steels was developed and applied to standard reference materials. It was further shown that the dynamic range for both elements can be apparently extended by the use of various exciting lines and combinations of hollow cathode lamps, the xenon lamp, the tunable filter and a spectrometer.     

Determination of carbaryl and biphenyl through optical fiber ccd-assisted flash lamp induced room temperature phosphorescence

A fiber-optic sensor for solid surface room temperature phosphorescence of carbaryl and biphenyl pesticides was designed. A xenon flash lamp was used as excitation source, and a cooled two-dimensional charge coupled device was employed as the detector. Room temperature phosphorescence spectra of carbaryl and biphenyl were recorded by an imaging spectrograph. Limits of detection at the picogram/spot level were obtained for the investigated compounds. The linear dynamic range extended over three orders of magnitude. The standard addition method and the internal standard method were employed to analyze the studied compounds in mixtures. The feasibility of the SS-RTP apparatus developed was evaluated by the identification of carbaryl in a real sample.     

A lamp light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detector for capillary electrophoresis

A light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detector (LED-FD) for capillary electrophoresis was constructed and evaluated. A lamp LED with an enhanced emission spectrum and a band pass filter was used as the excitation light source. Refractive index matching fluid (RIMF) was used in the detection cell to reduce scattering light and the noise level. The limit of detection (LOD) for fluorescein was 1.5 nM (SNR=3). The system exhibited linear responses in the range of 1 x 10(-8) to 5 x 10(-6)M (R=0.999). Application of the lamp LED-FD for the analysis of FITC-labeled ephedra herb extract by capillary electrophoresis was demonstrated.     

Determination of carbaryl and biphenyl through optical fiber ccd-assisted flash lamp induced room temperature phosphorescence

A fiber-optic sensor for solid surface room temperature phosphorescence of carbaryl and biphenyl pesticides was designed. A xenon flash lamp was used as excitation source, and a cooled two-dimensional charge coupled device was employed as the detector. Room temperature phosphorescence spectra of carbaryl and biphenyl were recorded by an imaging spectrograph. Limits of detection at the picogram/spot level were obtained for the investigated compounds. The linear dynamic range extended over three orders of magnitude. The standard addition method and the internal standard method were employed to analyze the studied compounds in mixtures. The feasibility of the SS-RTP apparatus developed was evaluated by the identification of carbaryl in a real sample. Received: 26 November 1999 / Revised: 26 January 2000 / Accepted: 29 January 2000     

Application of a xenon arc lamp as a light source for evaporative light scattering detection

The standard tungsten-halogen light source used in a commercial evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) was replaced with a 180 W xenon arc lamp. The xenon arc lamp possesses a broader spectrum in the UV region than the halogen source. The influence of the UV transmittance of five selected solvents was studied with a size-exclusion chromatography column. This solvent parameter was not observed to influence the ELSD response between the two light source settings. With the solvents studied, better sensitivity was obtained with the xenon arc lamp than the halogen lamp. This high-energy source was applied to ceramide III analysis with an octadecyl-grafted silica column and methanol:tetrahydrofuran 97:3 as the mobile phase, and the sensitivity of the quantification of ceramide III increased 16-fold for injected amounts of 14∼140 ng. The molecular species in a sample of naturally occurring ceramides was analyzed using two C18 columns at 40 °C and gradient elution from 100% acetonitrile to 100% isopropanol in 30 min. The increased ELSD sensitivity achieved when using the xenon arc lamp allowed both the minor and major ceramide species to be observed, in contrast to the results achieved when the halogen lamp was used, where the increased photomultiplier voltage needed to observed the signals from the minor species caused the signals from the major ceramide species to occur above the detector response window.     

Optical fiber light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection for capillary electrophoresis

A highly sensitive optical fiber light-emitting diode (LED)-induced fluorescence detector for CE has been constructed and evaluated. In this detector, a violet or blue LED was used as the excitation source and an optical fiber with 40 microm OD was used to transmit the excitation light. The upper end of the fiber was inserted into the separation capillary and was situated right at the detection window. Fluorescence emission was collected by a 40 x microscope objective, focused on a spatial filter, and passed through a cutoff filter before reaching the photomultiplier tube. Output signals were recorded and processed with a computer using in-house written software. The present CE/fluorescence detector deploys a simple and inexpensive optical system that requires only an LED as the light source. Its utility was successfully demonstrated by the separation and determination of amino acids (AAs) labeled with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) and FITC. Low detection limits were obtained ranging from 17 to 23 nM for NDA-tagged AAs and 8 to 12 nM for FITC-labeled AAs (S/N=3). By virtue of such valuable features as low cost, convenience, and miniaturization, the presented detection scheme was proven to be attractive for sensitive fluorescence detection in CE.     

气相色谱微体积热导检测器测量氙

气相色谱微体积热导检测器(μTCD)是与毛细管柱相连的浓度型检测器。为提高-TCD测量氙的能力,研究了色谱进样条件、分离条件和检测条件对氙响应影响。结果表明,当柱流量为1.5mL/min,1.0mL样品完全进样所需最短时间为0.4min;等量氙响应值随着柱流量的增加而增大,与色谱柱温度无关;在流量比(q)等于2.3时,等量氙响应值达到最大(0.98-V.s/hPa);且当q=2～3时,其均值为0.97-V.s/hPa;相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.2%。     

便携式微型液相色谱仪的研制

该工作报道了一种自行设计研制的便携式微型液相色谱仪(portable micro liquid chromatograph, p-μLC)。p-μLC集成了二元大推力注射泵作为流动相驱动装置、毛细管整体柱为分离介质和紫外-可见/荧光两用流通池为在线检测单元。自行设计研制的二元大推力注射泵可以实现等度/梯度洗脱和流动相再装填功能,可控流速范围在0.025 μL/min到5.6 mL/min之间;自制的甲基丙烯酸酯C-18有机聚合物毛细管整体微柱可实现自有机小分子至生物大分子的分离;自行研制的光纤式紫外-可见/荧光两用流通池,可以通过光纤导入来自光源的紫外光和可见光,并采集透射光和与入射光反方向射出的荧光信号,流通池内使用自聚焦透镜和全反射光导毛细管等器件提高通光效率和吸收光程;两用流通池通过光纤分别连接由大功率发光二极管/脉冲氙灯光源和微型光栅光谱仪所组成的检测装置进行在线吸收和荧光光谱检测,检测波长范围为220~700 nm。p-μLC采用整体手提箱式结构,流路模块、检测模块等位于下主箱体中,采集、控制模块等位于上盖中,全重不超过8 kg。仪器由装载了自编控制采集软件的内置平板电脑进行控制和数据采集。使用自行制备的甲基丙烯酸酯C-18有机聚合物毛细管整体柱,在等度洗脱模式下,在p-μLC上分离了烷基苯化合物混合样品,其分离检测效果可以与商品化大型HPLC仪器相媲美。     

Light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection of native proteins in capillary electrophoresis

A continuous-wave 280 nm light-emitting diode (LED) was used as the excitation source for native fluorescence detection of proteins in CE. The operating current and temperature of the LED were optimized in order to achieve high luminescence power. It was found that a forward current of 30 mA and a temperature of approximately 5 degrees C gave the best S/N. By using a set of two ball lenses to focus light from the LED, we achieved a spot of approximately 200 mum with a power of 0.1-0.2 mW on the detection window. Fluorescence was collected with a ball lens at 90 degrees angle through a bandpass filter onto a photomultiplier tube. In CZE an LOD of 20 nM for conalbumin was reached. In capillary gel electrophoresis all eight proteins from a commercial standard kit were detected with high S/N. For a 10 microg/mL total protein mixture, S/N was better than 3 for all proteins in solution. Further improvement in LOD should be possible on utilization of an LED with higher luminescence power.     

Use of on-line liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the rapid investigation of flavonoids from Sorocea bomplandii

A HPLC method, using photochemically-induced fluorescence detection, is described for the separation and determination of four phenylurea herbicides including diuron, isoproturon, linuron and neburon. A post-column photoreactor, consisting of a reactor knitted around a 4 W xenon lamp, has been included between the column and the detector, in order to transform the non-fluorescent herbicides into fluorophors. The influence of mobile phase composition, flow-rate, pH, and buffer concentration has been studied. An acetonitrile–buffer solution of potassium phosphate dibasic of pH 7 and 0.01 M concentration (60:40, v/v), was selected as optimum. For the fluorimetric detection, optimal excitation/emission wavelengths 324/403, 301/433, 335/411 and 326/385 nm were selected for the determination of diuron, isoproturon, linuron and neburon, respectively. The detection limits ranged between 0.07 and 0.46 μg/ml, according to the compound.     

Lamp‐based wavelength‐resolved fluorescence detection for protein capillary electrophoresis: Setup and detector performance

A lamp‐based fluorescence detection (Flu) system for CE was extended with a wavelength‐resolved (WR) detector to allow recording of full protein emission spectra. WRFlu was achieved using a fluorescence cell that employs optical fibres to lead excitation light from a Xe‐Hg lamp to the capillary window and protein fluorescence emission to a spectrograph equipped with a CCD. A 280 nm band pass filter etc. together with a 300 nm short pass cut‐off filter was used for excitation. A capillary cartridge was modified to hold the detection cell in a commercial CE instrument enabling WRFlu in routine CE. The performance of the WRFlu detection was evaluated and optimised using lysozyme as model protein. Based on reference spectral data, a signal‐intensity adjustment was introduced to correct for transmission losses in the detector optics that occurred for lower protein emission wavelengths. CE‐WRFlu of lysozyme was performed using BGEs of 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.5 or 3.0) and a charged‐polymer coated capillary. Using the 3‐D data set, signal averaging over time and emission‐wavelength intervals was carried out to improve the S/N of emission spectra and electropherograms. The detection limit for lysozyme was 21 nM, providing sufficient sensitivity to obtain spectral information on protein impurities.     

超细红色荧光粉LaMgAl11O19:Eu3+的制备与发光性能

采用凝胶-燃烧法制备了稀土Eu³⁺掺杂的LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉红色荧光粉的前驱粉末, 在低于700℃退火处理时, 得到非晶态样品, 而高于850℃退火处理后为单一六方相结构LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉:Eu³⁺样品. SEM结果表明, 该法制备的样品为颗粒分布均匀, 粒径在200~400 nm之间的超细粉末. 通过激发光谱和发射光谱研究了Eu³⁺在LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉基质中的发光性能, 结果显示, 非晶态和晶态La_1-xMgAl₁₁O₁₉:x Eu³⁺样品都可发光, 在613 nm波长光的监测下所得荧光粉的激发光谱为一宽带和系列锐峰, 其最强激发峰出现在蓝光465 nm处, 次强峰为394 nm, 表明该荧光粉与广泛使用的紫外和蓝光LED芯片的输出波长相匹配. 在465 nm波长光的激发下观察到超细LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉粉末中Eu³⁺的613 nm (⁵D⁰→⁷F₂)强的特征发射, 且随着粉末逐渐成相⁵D⁰→⁷F₂跃迁明显增强, 说明LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉:Eu³⁺超细粉末可作为白光LED的红色补偿荧光粉.     

Performance of a simple UV LED light source in the capillary electrophoresis of inorganic anions with indirect detection using a chromate background electrolyte

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are known to be excellent light sources for detectors in liquid chromatography and capillary electromigration separation techniques, but to date only LEDs emitting in the visible range have been used. In this work, a UV LED was investigated as a simple alternative light source to standard mercury or deuterium lamps for use in indirect photometric detection of inorganic anions using capillary electrophoresis with a chromate background electrolyte (BGE). The UV LED used had an emission maximum at 379.5 nm, a wavelength at which chromate absorbs strongly and exhibits a 47% higher molar absorptivity than at 254 nm when using a standard mercury light source. The noise, sensitivity and linearity of the LED detector were evaluated and all exhibited superior performance to the mercury light source (up to 70% decrease in noise, up to 26.2% increase in sensitivity, and over 100% increase in linear range). Using the LED detector with a simple chromate-diethanolamine background electrolyte, limits of detection for the common inorganic anions, Cl-, NO3-, SO4(2-), F- and PO4(3-) ranged from 3 to 14 microg L(-1), using electrostatic injection at -5 kV for 5 s.     

Evaluation of a pulsed EIMAC source for atomic-fluorescence spectrometry

An EIMAC xenon arc continuum source operated in the pulsed mode has been evaluated for potential use as a source of excitation in atomic-fluorescence spectrometry. The results were compared with those obtained with a similar lamp operated in the continuous-wave mode; little or no improvement was evident from this comparison. The lamp was found to be unstable in the pulsed mode, requiring the use of a rather large residual d.c. current in conjunction with a relatively low amplitude power-pulse in order to sustain the arc. Moreover, the pulsed source yielded a large background signal because of scattering of source-radiation in the flame; the background spectrum (with source "on") contained numerous large peaks due to fluorescence of molecular species in the flame and to irregularities in the spectral distribution of the pulsed lamp output transmitted to the signal detector by scatter.     

毛细管电泳-荧光/非接触电导组合型检测器的研制

报道了一种毛细管电泳-荧光／非接触电导组合型检测器。该检测器共用非接触电导检测池,实现了双检测器响应同步。优化了非接触电导检测系统中激发电压信号及其频率;荧光检测是用发光二极管作为激发光源,用光纤收集并传输荧光信号至光电倍增管。用无机金属离子和异硫氰酸荧光素评价该体系,结果表明,该检测器达到了任一单类型检测器性能指标。     

Feasibility of light-emitting diode uses for annular reactor inner-coated with TiO2 or nitrogen-doped TiO2 for control of dimethyl sulfide

Limited environmental pollutants have only been investigated for the feasibility of light‐emitting diodes (LED) uses in photocatalytic decomposition (PD). The present study investigated the applicability of LEDs for annular photocatalytic reactors by comparing PD efficiencies of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which has not been investigated with any LED‐PD system, between photocatalytic systems utilizing conventional and various LED lamps with different wavelengths. A conventional 8 W UV/TiO₂ system exhibited a higher DMS PD efficiency as compared with UV‐LED/TiO₂ system. Similarly, a conventional 8 W visible‐lamp/N‐enhanced TiO₂ (NET) system exhibited a higher PD efficiency as compared with six visible‐LED/NET systems. However, the ratios of PD efficiency to the electric power consumption were rather high for the photocatalytic systems using UV‐ or visible‐LED lamps, except for two LED lamps (yellow‐ and red‐LED lamps), compared to the photocatalytic systems using conventional lamps. For the photocatalytic systems using LEDs, lower flow rates and input concentrations and shorter hydraulic diameters exhibited higher DMS PD efficiencies. An Fourier‐transformation infrared analysis suggested no significant absorption of byproducts on the catalyst surface. Consequently, it was suggested that LEDs can still be energy‐efficiently utilized as alternative light sources for the PD of DMS, under the operational conditions used in this study.     

Performance of an ultraviolet light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detector in capillary electrophoresis

The performance of a fluorescence detector in capillary electrophoresis (CE) using a light-emitting diode (LED) as excitation source is reported. An ultraviolet LED pulsed at a repetition rate of 500 Hz, combined with a time-discrimination and averaging acquisition system, was used. Limits of detection of 3 and 18 fmoles (at a signal-to-noise ratio equal to 3) were achieved for fluorescamine-derivatized bradykinin and lysine, respectively. This system exhibited a linear response for a concentration range between 54 and 417 microM for derivatized lysine, and between 1.81 and 23.58 microM for derivatized bradykinin. This detection system showed to be very convenient for routine analytical applications.     

An economical fluorescence detector for lab-on-a-chip devices with a light emitting photodiode and a low-cost avalanche photodiode

An economical fluorescence detector was developed with an LED as the exciting source and a low-cost avalanche photodiode (APD) module as a photon sensor. The detector was arranged in an epifluorescence configuration using a microscope objective (20× or 40×) and a dichroic mirror. The low-cost APD was biased by a direct current (DC) high voltage power supply at 121 V, which is much lower than that normally used for a PMT. Both DC and square wave (SW) supplies were used to power the LED and different data treatment protocols, such as simple average for DC mode, software based lock-in amplification and time specific average for SW mode, were tested to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. Using an LED at a DC mode with simple data averaging, a limit of detection of 0.2 nmol L(-1) for sodium fluorescein was attained, which is among the lowest ever achieved with an LED as an excitation source. The detector was successfully used in both capillary and chip electrophoresis. The most significant advantages of the detector are the compact size and low cost of its parts. The aim of the work is to prove that widely available, low-cost components for civilian use can be successfully used for miniaturized analytical devices.     

Optimization of thermostated electrodeless discharge lamps for analytical atomic spectrometry

Thermostated and unthermostated electrodeless discharge lamps (EDL's) operated at 2450 MHz with either an A-antenna or a $\text{3}\text{4}$-wavelength Broida cavity have been critically studied with respect to the effect of type and pressure of fill gas, lamp temperature, microwave power and the form of element and/or compound within the lamp, upon the source radiant output, atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence signals of Zn-213·8 nm, Pb-283·3 nm, Mn-279·5 nm, Hg-253·7 nm and Tl-377·6 nm. Temperature control of electrodeless discharge lamps eliminates most of the problems which have previously plagued their operation. Also as a result of these studies, certain misconcepts in the operation and characteristics of electrodeless discharge lamps have been clarified; e.g., the ‘skin effect’ is present in many electrodeless discharge lamps, but all lamps also exhibit a homogeneous glow discharge; at high microwave powers and/or at high lamp temperatures, spectral lines apparently exhibit little self-absorption and self-reversal; and most important, control of lamp temperature is the most critical parameter controlling spectral output because atomization within the lamps is predominantly thermal in origin. Also, contrary to the conclusions reached by some workers evaluating the analytical usefulness of atomic fluorescence flame spectrometry, it is shown that detection limits one-to-three orders of magnitude lower result when thermostated EDL's are used in atomic fluorescence spectrometry with C₂H₂-air flames.