The Use of Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy to Characterise the Differences in Research Grade Instruments

Abstract

The major question about the newer instruments is “are they more capable than the instruments we have been using for decades”? In looking for a way to examine the utility of commercial instrumentation capable of performing the measurement of stickiness in cotton, a method was required for evaluating the way these instruments performed compared with the research grade spectrometer which was first successfully used to measure stickiness. While all of the instruments had the potential analytical capability of measuring sticky cotton, all would require even more costly hardening to be used in a cotton gin or spinning plant. Regardless, the calibration would need to be transferred to any of these new instruments. While there are existing algorithms to do this, it is imperative to understand the differences between instrument platforms. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) has been used to characterise instrumental differences which will affect performance, stability and reliability. The 2DCOS programs were re-written in Matlab ver. 6.51 to provide a common format with the newer instruments and the special purpose instruments which utilise Matlab for data functions. The instruments used in the complete calibration studies of sticky cotton were evaluated for their instrument function parameters. The possibilities for using 2DCOS for instrument characterisation was explored in concert with available spectral technologies.