Optimization of Time Resolved Phosphorimetry

Abstract

Time resolution, in spite of its enormous potential for minimizing spectral interferences in analytical phosphorimetry, has never achieved the widespread application that one might expect. One reason has been the inefficient trial-and-error optimization of the pulsed source gated detection phosphorimeter for a given analysis. In this paper, this problem is addressed by deriving expressions which relate the observed phosphorescence intensity to the temporal characteristics of the experimental system, and using these expressions to ascertain how the individual adjustable parameters, coupled with the analyte lifetime(s), affect the observed intensity. The predicted effects are verified by comparison with experimental results obtained on several phosphors of widely different lifetimes, using a pulsed laser boxcar averager phosphorimeter.