Application of a zirconium fluoride fiber optic diffuse reflectance probe for the remote identification of solids

Abstract

A novel fiber optic-based probe for the identification of pure and contaminated solids has been developed. Ultimately, this probe is to be used to characterize the make-up and degree of contamination of hazardous waste sites as a preliminary step in the clean-up process. The transmission range of zirconium fluoride fibers allows for the measurement of fundamental stretching frequencies in the mid-infrared (MIR) region as well as overtone and combination bands in the near-infrared (NIR) region. This provides a substantial increase of the measurable concentration range of this MIR/NIR system with respect to systems which can measure only MIR or NIR information. The spectra of samples measured using this fiber optic system is compared to spectra measured in a standard in-compartment diffuse reflectance accessory. The spectra are evaluated in terms of signal-to-noise, measurement time, and detection limits.