Oxygen Sensing and UV-NIR Spectroscopy Measurements using Fiber Optic Assemblies

World Precision Instruments (WPI) offers a full range of fiber optic assemblies including standard optical fibers with 2 connectors and furcation tubing, bifurcated fiber, cross fiber connectorized assemblies, long length assemblies to name a few.

Along with this product, WPI offers fluorescence probes designed for small sample sizes and small volumes. These probes can be used for the detection of the transient response of free ion concentrations, like calcium, potassium, sodium or magnesium.

Fluorescence probes can also be designed to detect pH or membrane potential. Auto-fluorescence like the detection of ATPase activity via NADH or FAD is another application. 

You can detect oxygen in small sample in living tissues using the phase shift between a reference signal and a measured signal. Here BioOxy can play a major role. BioOxy is a new and innovative technology for measuring oxygen in gaseous and aqueous phase. BioOxy is an optical oxygen sensor with important advantages over using common Clark type electrodes. These sensors have a rapid response time with the t90 = 3 seconds (in gas phase). No oxygen is consumed making measurements. These sensors are perfect for bioprocess control and making oxygen measurement in small samples, Gamma sterilizable.

As we consider the low volume for the flow cell, be it for FIA or HPLC and for the process analysis, WPI has performance advantages. The advantages that WPI provides are as follows:

• High UV transmission.
• Low internal volume, 2.4 – 24 µL.
• 0–10 mL/min flow rate.
• Fits 500 and 600 µm fibers.
• Wetted materials of PEEK, fused silica or PTFE.
• Liquid core waveguide technology–UV/VIS flow cell.

On the other hand, the benefits are manifolds that include but not limited to the followings:

• Minimum baseline (refractive index) offset with changing solvents.
• High efficiency light coupling.
• Fits fiber-coupled spectroscopy equipment and WPI TIDAS systems.

As a company, WPI provides the product developers and the researchers with the UV basic attenuation data by fiber length. This is post manufacturing for starters. One of such proprietary formulation of WPI fiber, resists UV degradation and allow for deep UV down to 185 nm. However, the UV performance of the fiber is dependent on two parameters like the basic attenuation and solarization induced loss over the usage time. When you purchase the UV qualified fiber from WPI, you will receive a certificate. This certificate states for the UV transmission of fiber optic assemblies after it has been built. Also at the same time you will receive a certificate of the induced loss that is generated by continuous exposure to a 30 Watt deuterium bulb of each of the fiber material batch from 185-360 nm. The proprietary formulation of WPI fiber allows for excellent transmission of UV light in longer length fiber than has been feasible in the past. This is primarily because of the degradation of the fiber itself over time. WPI’s Qualified Optical Fibers let you easily clear this hurdle in designing your next product.