LAMBDA 1050+ UV/Vis/NIR Spectrophotometer

UV/Vis/NIR absorption spectroscopy has evolved to a very powerful characterization tool of carbon nanotube dispersions and has thus contributed a significant share to the insights on nanotube purity, functionalization and sorting that were elaborated the past years.

We developed spectrophotometry accessories for measuring absolute reflection on highly reflecting samples, not only at near-normal incidences but also at oblique incidences for incident angles up to more than 80 degrees. The accessories are designed for use with a high performance UV/Vis/NIR industrial spectrophotometer and are widely used for the accurate characterisation of mirrors.

Optical filters have many functions, including color correction, used to improve color balance in many optical systems, to neutral density filters that produce specific reduction in the level of transmitted light. The characterization of these diverse optical filter types is critical from design through manufacturing, providing validation of a specific design and the necessary means to perform QC/QA of finished products. This application note highlights PerkinElmer® LAMBDA™ 1050 for determining the best method for the analysis of specific optical filters.

In materials research there is sometimes a need to scan high absorbance samples such as laser protection lenses, optical filters, and polarization materials. Such sample types often need to be measured across the whole UV, Vis and NIR ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The LAMBDA 1050 is the latest in the line of high performance UV/Vis/NIR double monochromator spectrometers offered by PerkinElmer. This instrument incorporates many of the latest technological advances in optical design, including full wavelength range three detector technology, a high resolution, high energy optical system incorporating low stray light holographic gratings, and Indium Gallium Aresnide (InGaAs) sampling modules for enhanced near-infrared (NIR) performance.

An optical coating consists of a combination of thin film layers that create interference effects used to enhance transmission or reflection properties for an optical system. How well an optical coating performs is dependent upon the number of factors, including the number of layers, the thickness of each layer and the differences in refractive index at the layer interfaces. The transmission properties of light are predicted by wave theory. One outcome of the wave properties of light is that waves exhibit interference effects. Light waves that are in phase with each other undergo constructive interference, and their amplitudes are additive. Light waves exactly out of phase with each other (by 180°) undergo destructive interference, and their amplitudes cancel. It is through the principle of optical interference that thin film coatings control the reflection and transmission of light.

Today’s plastics are some of the most used materials on a global volume basis. Broadly integrated into today’s industrial and commercial lifestyles, they make a major, irreplaceable contribution to virtually every product category.

In this compendium you will find a wide range of applications for polymers, plastics, rubbers and advanced materials. Discover how to put these applications to work for you simply and efficiently.

The primary goal of this technical note is to guide the user through the accessory selection process for different specular/ diffuse samples. This will be achieved by measuring identical samples with varying contributions of diffuse and specular reflection, on three different reflection accessories, and then comparing the spectra generated.

The measurement of the band gap of materials is important in the semiconductor, nanomaterial and solar industries. This note demonstrates how the band gap of a material can be determined from its UV absorption spectrum.

This schema remains a recognized tool for dermatological research in classifying the response of human skin to visible light for the health and skin care industry. The Fitzpatrick Scale is a modernization of the older Von Luschan’s Chromatic Scale which uses a series of 36 opaque glass tiles to characterize skin color. Figure 1 shows the range of colors for human skin as described by Von Luschan’s tiles. The Fitzpatrick scale then groups these into six skin types: albino, fair, beige, Mediterranean brown, dark brown, and black.

The demand for smart materials with advanced properties for improved safety, efficiency and functionality is rapidly growing. Accurate characterization of a wide-range of sample materials is critical for manufacturers and researchers developing products to ensure their performance meets exacting regulatory standards and stakeholder expectations. And we all know how much speed counts in today’s markets! From characterization of a wide-range of glass (architectural, automotive, functional, or solar) to optical films, coatings, semi-conductors, and other advanced materials, the new LAMBDA^™ 1050+ UV/Vis/NIR systems sets the standard for high-performance, flexibility and convenience to ensure faster, better product development and grow your business.

Sunscreen protects skin by either absorbing or reflecting the harmful ultraviolet rays, preventing them from reaching the skin. Using sunscreen while exposed to the sun can greatly reduce the chances of damaging skin cells, and developing cancer. For this study the PerkinElmer® Lambda™ 1050 equipped with a 150 mm integrating sphere will be use to collect scatter transmission data for sunscreen placed on a tape substrate. Testing sunscreen on a tape model of human skin to calculate the SPF value is more convenient and economical than testing on human skin.

To verify the performance of ESR films represents a measurement challenge for many commercial spectrophotometer systems. Not only are ESR films designed to achieve very high reflectance (>98% R) in the visible spectral range, but are required to achieve this high reflectance at any angle of incidence and under any state of light polarization. Therefore, the ESR films need to be measured with an absolute variable angle reflectance accessory combined with an automated polarization accessory.

Advanced optical materials, nanomaterials, and manmade chemicals can go a long way toward addressing the most vexing issues of our day. In materials testing, there’s sometimes a need to characterize complex samples, such as laser protection lenses, architectural glasses, optical filters, and anti-reflective coatings. Whether you’re performing testing and analysis in specialty glass/glazing, virtual reality, optoelectronics, automotive, laser technology, or solar panels, we have the right solution for you with our high performance LAMBDA^™ series and appropriate sampling accessories.

Advanced instrumentation is key to work in nano-materials. Functional tools such as optical and thermal measurement techniques allow the characterization of materials. As such, they complement imaging tools such as AFM and TEM-SEM which give spatial information on the structure of the materials. This poster presents examples of recent challenging measurements carried out in band gap analysis, plasmon resonance and polymorphic structure.

From the start of our busy days to the end, electricity is the life blood that keeps us going. We cook, heat, clean, light, work, communicate and are entertained all driven by electricity. The most common modes of generation are hydro, nuclear geothermal or fossil fuel powered. There is a clear need throughout the world to develop clean renewable sustainable sources of power to support growing economies and reduce our carbon footprint.

We evaluated a 3M® visible mirror film for potential use in a new curved photovoltaic module using a LAMBDA 950 spectrophotometer with an ARTA accessory. In this application, the 3M® film must transmit near-infrared photons to the underlying silicon solar cells (where they will be converted directly to electricity) while reflecting visible photons to the focus of the module where they may be absorbed by, for example a wavelength-agnostic thermal absorber used to drive a heat engine.

This note demonstrates the use of Hellma® linearity filters to study the linearity of the PerkinElmer® high performance LAMBDA™ instruments (LAMBDA 850, 950 and 1050) in the visible region of the spectrum.

There is a growing body of evidence showing that there are significant differences between some nanomaterials and their non-nanoscale counterparts. What those differences portend raises many new questions about their potential to cause harm to human health and the environment.