Nanosecond pulsed TIRPAS: Improved Photoacoustic Detection

University of Missouri System: University of Missouri-Columbia
posted on 06/17/2011

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The development of specialized methods that allow for rapid inexpensive detection, identification, and quantification of biologically and chemically relevant compounds has the potential to both revolutionize the detection and treatment of disease and result in quantum leaps in scientific knowledge. Photoacoustic spectroscopy is such a novel technology for the detection of chemicals and that has a great potential.

The current invention developed by researchers at the University of Missouri is an improvement to photoacoustic detection with the potential to revolutionize the detection of small and large absorbing molecules, including environmental pollutions and disease indicators. The combination of Total Internal Reflection Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (TIRPAS) with the use of a nanosecond pulsed laser increases the sensitivity and selectivity of chemical detection over current methods like UV-VIS spectroscopy, and has many of the characteristics of being a disruptive technology.

• Disease marker detection
  
• Environmental pollution detection
  
• Chemical detection

• Exceptionally high sensitivity
  
• Tunable selectivity according to molecule size
  
• High signal to noise ratio (SNR)
  
• Extremely small sample volume
  
• Easily adaptable for a variety of applications