Nanometric determination of the thickness of aqueous samples for accurate molar absorption coefficients of water-soluble molecules in the mid-infrared region

Absorption spectra of aqueous samples measured by transmission need to be acquired using very thin cells (5-50 μm) when targeting the mid-infrared (mid-IR) region due to the strong background absorbance of liquid water. The thickness of the cell used controls the pathlength of the light through the sample, a value needed to transform absorption spectra into molar absorption coefficient spectra, or to determine solute concentrations from absorption spectra. The most accurate way to determine the thickness of an empty cell (i.e., filled with air) is from the period of an interference pattern, known as interference fringes, that arises when the cell is placed perpendicular to the path of light in the spectrometer. However, this same approach is not directly applicable to determine the thickness of a cell filled with an aqueous solution, due partially to the smaller amplitude of the interference fringes but fundamentally caused by its complex waveform, with a wavenumber-dependent oscillation period. Here, using Fresnel equations, we derived analytical expressions to model interference fringes in absorption spectra obtained by transmission, which are also valid for aqueous samples. We also present a novel Fourier-based analysis of the interference fringes that, in combination with the derived analytical expressions, allowed us to determine the pathlength of aqueous samples with an error below ∼ 50 nm. We implemented this novel approach to analyze interference fringes as a Live Script running in the software Matlab. As an application, we measured the absorption spectra of a 97 mM solution of MES buffer at pH 3.4 and pH 8.4 using cells of various nominal thicknesses (6, 25 and 50 μm), whose actual thicknesses were determined using the present approach. The derived molar absorption coefficient spectrum for both the acidic and basic forms of MES were virtually identical regardless of the cell, indicating that the determined thicknesses were likely very accurate. These results illustrate the utility of the present methodology in obtaining accurate molar absorption coefficient spectra of water-soluble molecules in the mid-IR region.

A New Simple Analytical Method for a Highly Accurate Determination of the Optical Parameters of a Slab from Transmittance Data

To date, determining with high accuracy the optical parameters (extinction coefficient k and refractive index n) of a slab from the sole transmittance data requires an inverse method based on numerical iteration procedures. In this paper, we propose a new inverse analytical method of extracting (k, n) without numerical iterative processes. The high accuracy of this new inverse method is assessed, and as an application example, the optical parameters of CaF₂ and Si substrates are determined in the IR spectral range of 4-8 µm.

Calculation of Spectral Optical Constants Using Combined Ellipsometric and Reflectance Methods for Smooth and Rough Bulk Samples

Spectra of the optical constants n and k of a substance are often deduced from spectroscopic measurements, performed on a thick and homogeneous sample, and from a model used to simulate these measurements. Spectra obtained for n and k using the ellipsometric method generally produce polarized reflectance simulations in strong agreement with the experimental measurements, but they sometimes introduce significant discrepancies over limited spectral ranges, whereas spectra of n and k obtained with the single-angle reflectance method require a perfectly smooth sample surface to be viable. This paper presents an alternative method to calculate n and k. The method exploits both ellipsometric measurements and s-polarized specular reflectance measurements, and compensates for potential surface scattering effects with the introduction of a specularity factor. It is applicable to bulk samples having either a smooth or a rough surface. It provides spectral optical constants that are consistent with s-polarized reflectance measurements. Demonstrations are performed in the infrared region using a glass slide (smooth surface) and a pellet of compressed ammonium sulfate powder (rough surface).

Structural, FTIR spectra and optical properties of pure and co-doped Zn1-x-y Fe x M y O ceramics with (M = Cu, Ni) for plastic deformation and optoelectronic applications

We report here a considered novel study on the structural, FTIR spectra and optical properties of pure and co-doped Zn0.90-x Fe0.1M x O with ((M = Cu, Ni and (x = 0.00, 0.10) and (0.00 < y < 0.20)) at different sintering temperatures T s (T s  = 850 °C for series I and 1000 °C series II). Although the ZnO wurtzite structure is conformed for all samples, some secondary lines with little intensity are formed. But the number of these lines is higher for series I than for series II. The (c/a) value and U-parameter are almost constant for all samples, while Zn-O bond length L is slightly increased. The porosity and crystallite size are decreased by Fe, and also for (Fe + Cu) samples, and their values for series I are lower than for series II. The residual stress is tensile for most samples. Interestingly, the Young's, rigid and bulk modulus, Poisson's ratio and Debye temperature, obtained from FTIR analysis, are increased by Fe addition with a further increase for Fe + Ni) samples for both series. A ductile nature is obtained for pure, Fe and (Fe + Cu) samples; whereas a brittle nature is approved for (Fe + Ni) samples. On the other hand, the energy gap (E g ), residual lattice dielectric constant (ε L ) and carrier density N are increased by Fe addition, followed by a further increase for (Fe + Cu) samples, while the vice is versa for the inter-atomic distance R. For example, E g was increased from 3.153 eV for pure ZnO to 3.974 eV for (Fe + Cu) samples (i.e., 0.821 eV more), while it was decreased to 2.851 eV for (Fe + Ni) samples (i.e., 0.302 eV less). A direct behavior is obtained between E g and both elastic modulus (Y, β), lattice and micro strains (ε L , ε m ), dislocation density (δ), residual stress (σ) and carrier density N, whereas a reverse behavior is obtained between E g and both crystallite size (D), porosity (PS) and inter-atomic distance (R) . These results are explained in terms of the generated blocked states of the conduction band as indicated by the Burstein Moss effect. These novel findings reveal that the co-doping has intense ZnO and moderate metal oxide modes in the ZnO matrix structure, which makes ZnO co-doped with (Fe + Cu) more suitable for gas sensors and optoelectronic devices. In contrast, ZnO co-doped with (Fe + Ni) samples is strongly recommended for altering plastic deformation. To our knowledge, the present investigation can be considered the first study and probably has never been discussed elsewhere, which highlights the present investigation.

Ellipsometric n and k Values for Ammonium Sulfate with Variability Analysis

Infrared reflectance analysis is facilitated via the comparison of spectra recorded in situ to a databank of actual or synthetic infrared reflectance spectra. It has recently been shown that reference spectra corresponding to the many different morphological forms of the same chemical can be generated synthetically using the imaginary, k, and real, n, components of the complex refractive index, n∼ = n + ik. One method to obtain the n and k vectors is infrared ellipsometry, which measures the changes in amplitude, tan Ψ, and phase, Δ, of polarized light reflected from the sample both as a function of wavenumber and angle of incidence. The method requires specularly reflected light, so best results are usually obtained with polished planar samples of large surface area. Due to the difficulties of obtaining such samples, however, we investigate the possibility of pressing powders of neat materials and obtaining the corresponding optical constants from the pellets. In this paper, variability in the sample pellet and preparation method is investigated, as is variability in the fitting procedure for the derived optical constants. The n/k vectors are derived from the measured ellipsometric parameters, tan ψ and Δ, as they are fit by an oscillator model which yield n(ν∼) and k(ν∼) vectors as a function of wavenumber, ν∼. Construction of the oscillator model is not automatic and depends on significant input from the analyst as well as the sample's physical characteristics. For pellet pressing, the experimental variability was found to be minimized for size-selected powdered samples as gauged by the minimal variance in ψ and Δ for three different pellets; similarly, the analytical precision for multiple measurements of the same pellet was also quite good, suggesting that a pressed pellet is a viable sample preparation method. Experimental variabilities were comparatively small; the greatest variability came in the analytic fitting procedure with differences in the k-peak values up to 10% for only the sharpest bands arising from four different fits to the same data set. The final ellipsometric n/k data are compared to literature values obtained from crystalline ammonium sulfate ((NH₄)₂SO₄) samples as well as single-angle reflectance measurements that also used pressed pellets. Comparison with the previous literature values shows generally good agreement, although larger k-values are observed for the independent sets of data derived from pressed pellets. These data are suggested as an improved set of optical constants for (NH₄)₂SO₄.

Improved n and k Values of (NH4)2SO4 from Single-Angle Reflectance

In combination with other parameters, the real, n(ṽ∼), and imaginary, k(ṽ∼), components of the complex refractive index, n^ = n + ik, can be used to simulate the optical properties of a material in different forms, e.g., its infrared spectra. Ultimately, such n/k values can be used to generate a database of synthetic reflectance spectra for the different morphologies to which experimental data can be compared. But obtaining reliable values of the optical constants n/k for solid materials is challenging due to the lack of optical quality specimens, usually crystals, large enough to measure. An alternative to crystals is to press the powder into a uniform disk. We have produced pellets from ammonium sulfate, (NH₄)₂SO₄, powder and derived the pellets' n and k values via single-angle reflectance using a specular reflectance device in combination with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The single-angle technique measures amplitude of light reflected from the material as a function of wavelength over a wide spectral domain; the optical constants are determined from the reflectance data using the Kramers-Kronig relationship. We investigate several parameters associated with the pellets and pellet formation and their effects upon delivering the most reliable n/k values. Parameters studied include pellet diameter, mass, and density (void space), drying, grinding, sieving, and particle size in the pellet formation, as well as pressing pressure and duration. Of these parameters, using size-selected mixtures of dried, small (<50 µm) particles and pressing at ≥10 tons for at least 30 min were found key to forming highly reflective samples. Comparison of two sets of previous literature n(ṽ∼) and k(ṽ∼) values obtained from crystalline (NH₄)₂SO₄ both as crystal reflectance as well as extinction spectra of aerosols measured in a flow tube shows reasonable agreement, but suggests the present values, as confirmed from two independent techniques, represent a substantial improvement for n/k values for (NH₄)₂SO₄, also demonstrating promise to measure the optical constants of other materials.

Plasma impact on structural, morphological and optical properties of copper acetylacetonate thin films

The influence of plasma exposure on structural, morphological and optical properties of copper (II) acetylacetonate thin films deposited by thermal evaporation technique was investigated. Copper (II) acetylacetonate as-grown thin films were exposed to the atmospheric plasma for different times. The exposure of as-grown cu(acac)₂ thin film to atmospheric plasma for 5min modified its structural, morphological and optical properties. The effect of plasma exposure on structure and roughness of cu(acac)₂ thin films was evaluated by XRD and AFM techniques, respectively. The XRD results showed an increment in crystallinity due to exposure for 5min, but, when the exposure time reaches 10min, the film was transformed to an amorphous state. The AFM results revealed a strong modification of films roughness when the average roughness decreased from 63.35nm to ~1nm as a result of interaction with plasma. The optical properties of as-grown and plasma exposured cu(acac)₂ thin films were studied using spectrophotometric method. The exposure of cu(acac)₂ thin films to plasma produced the indirect energy gap decrease from 3.20eV to 2.67eV for 10min exposure time. The dispersion parameters were evaluated in terms of single oscillator model for as-grown and plasma exposured thin films. The influence of plasma exposure on third order optical susceptibility was studied.

Accurate Measurement of the Optical Constants n and k for a Series of 57 Inorganic and Organic Liquids for Optical Modeling and Detection

For optical modeling and other purposes, we have created a library of 57 liquids for which we have measured the complex optical constants n and k. These liquids vary in their nature, ranging in properties that include chemical structure, optical band strength, volatility, and viscosity. By obtaining the optical constants, one can model most optical phenomena in media and at interfaces including reflection, refraction, and dispersion. Based on the works of others, we have developed improved protocols using multiple path lengths to determine the optical constants n/k for dozens of liquids, including inorganic, organic, and organophosphorus compounds. Detailed descriptions of the measurement and data reduction protocols are discussed; agreement of the derived optical constant n and k values with literature values are presented. We also present results using the n/k values as applied to an optical modeling scenario whereby the derived data are presented and tested for models of 1 µm and 100 µm layers for dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) on both metal (aluminum) and dielectric (soda lime glass) substrates to show substantial differences between the reflected signal from highly reflective substrates and less-reflective substrates.

Thickness and optical constants calculation for chalcogenide-alkali metal Se80Te8(NaCl)12 thin film

Chalcogenide-alkali metal semiconducting thin films of four different thicknesses of Se₈₀Te₈(NaCl)₁₂ are deposited from bulk by thermal evaporation technique. The crystallinity of the film improves with increasing of thickness as indicated by the recorded X-ray diffraction patterns. The transmission and reflection spectra are measured in the wavelength range of the incident photons from 250 to 2500nm. The thickness and optical constants of the films are calculated based on Swanepeol method using the interference patterns appeared in the transmission spectra. It is found that the films have absorption mechanism which is an indirect allowed transition. The effect of the film thickness on the refractive index and the high-frequency dielectric constant are studied. With increasing the film thickness, both the absorption coefficient and high-frequency dielectric constant increase while the single-oscillator energy, optical band gap and extinction coefficient decrease.

A New Method for Determining the Optical Constants of Highly Transparent Solids

Highly transparent substrates are of interest for a variety of applications, but it is difficult to measure their optical constants precisely, especially the absorption index in the transparent spectral region. In this paper, a combination technique (DOPTM-EM) using both the double optical pathlength transmission method (DOPTM) and the ellipsometry method (EM) is presented to obtain the optical constants of highly transparent substrates, which overcomes the deficiencies of both the two methods. The EM cannot give accurate result of optical constants when the absorption index is very weak. The DOPTM is suitable to retrieve the weak absorption index; however, two sets of solutions exist for the retrieved refractive index and absorption index, and only one is the true value that needs to be identified. In the DOPTM-EM, the optical constants are measured first by using the EM and set as the initial value in the gradient-based inverse method used in the DOPTM, which ensures only the true optical constants are retrieved. The new method simultaneously obtains the refractive index and the absorption index of highly transparent substrate without relying on the Kramers-Kronig relation. The optical constants of three highly transparent substrates (polycrystalline BaF₂, CaF₂, and MgF₂) were experimentally determined within wavelength range from ultraviolet to infrared regions (0.2-14 µm). The presented method will facilitate the measurement of optical constants for highly transparent materials.

Structural, morphological and optical properties of ZnSe quantum dot thin films

ZnSe powder was prepared via hydrothermal technique using zinc acetate and sodium selenite as source materials. The prepared ZnSe powder was used for preparing film with different thickness values (95, 135 and 230 nm) via thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction showed that the prepared powder has cubic zinc-blende structure with a space group, F43m. The high resolution transmittance electron microscope results show that the films are composed of spherical-shaped nanoparticles with a diameter in the range of 2-8 nm. The optical properties of ZnSe films with differing thicknesses are investigated by means of spectrophotometric measurements of the photoluminescence, transmittance and reflectance. The absorption coefficient of the films is calculated and the optical band gap is estimated. The refractive index of the films is determined and its normal dispersion behavior is analyzed on the basis of a single oscillator model, in which oscillator energy, dispersion energy and dielectric constant at high frequency are evaluated. Drude model is also applied to determine the lattice dielectric constant and the ratio of the carriers' concentration to their effective mass.

An investigation on optical characteristics of nanocrystalline ZnS:Ni thin films prepared by chemical deposition method

Nanocrystalline nickel doped ZnS (ZnS:Ni) thin films were deposited by chemical bath deposition method. The effect of Ni doping on structural, photoluminescence, and optical properties of the ZnS:Ni films was studied. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction revealed that the films are polycrystalline in nature with a cubic structure. The fluorescence (FL) spectra of the ZnS:Ni films showed two characteristic bands, one broad band centered at 430 and another narrow band at 523 nm. UV-vis transmission data showed that the films were transparent in the visible region. Also, using these data, the absorption coefficients, the optical band gap, the extinction coefficients, the refractive index, the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constants, and the dissipation factor were calculated.

Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of Fe and (Co, Fe) co-doped copper oxide spin coated films

Copper oxide films with composition Cu1-x-yFexCoyO (where x⩽0.06 and y⩽0.03 in a molar ratio) and thickness of about 2 μm were spin coated onto ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates. These films were annealed at 500 °C in the air. XRD results show that films are CuO of polycrystalline and monoclinic structures without the detection of any Fe or Co traces. The average crystallite size of pure CuO is 20.44 nm reduced to 18.72 nm after Fe doping, then increased to 26.82 nm due to the co-doping with Co atoms. The optical band gap blue-shifted from 2.15 eV to 2.3 eV followed by red-shift to 2.15 eV after the Co incorporation. The influence of Fe doping and Co co-doping on the optical constants of CuO films as well as the photocatalytic removal of methylene blue (MB) dye is reported. The correlations between the structural modifications and the resultant optical properties are discussed. The obtained results of the fabricated system are compared with those of similar materials.

Optoelectronic studies on heterocyclic bases of deoxyribonucleic acid for DNA photonics

The optoelectronics study of large molecules, particularly π-stacking molecules, such as DNA is really an extremely difficult task. We perform first electronic structure calculations on the heterocyclic bases of 2'-deoxyribonucleic acid based on Lorentz-Fresnel dispersion theory. In the UV-VIS range of spectrum, many of the optoelectronic parameters for DNA four bases namely adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine are calculated and discussed. The results demonstrate that adenine has the highest hyperpolarizability, whereas thymine has the lowest hyperpolarizability. Cytosine has the lower average oscillator energy and the higher lattice energy. Thymine infers the most stable nucleic base with the lower phonon energy. Thymine also has the highest average oscillator energy and the lower lattice energy. Moreover, the four nucleic acid bases have large band gap energies less than 5 eV with a semiconducting behavior. Guanine shows the smallest band gap and the highest Fermi level energy, whereas adenine elucidates the highest band gap energy.

Determination of optical constants n and k of thin films from absorbance data using Kramers-Kronig relationship

We present a code, called NKABS, to determine optical constants (complex refractive index) of thin films directly from the absorbance data in the infrared. The code is written in the Python language, which is more accurate and faster than previous methods in the literature. For solving the Kramers-Kronig relationship, we used the Maclaurin's methodology. Unlike other codes, which found convergence in 30-40 iterations, the NKABS reach the convergence in just 4 or 5 iterations. Additionally, to evaluate the error, this code calculates the MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error) and the chi-square χ(2). The typical MAPE error obtained using NKABS is less than 1×10(-3)%. To illustrate the functionality of this code, we calculate the optical constants in the infrared spectral region of 28 different samples of astrophysical interest at different temperatures (10-300K), which simulates molecules in space environments, mostly the ones called astrophysical ices. The samples were obtained from the condensation of pure gases (e.g. CO, CO2, NH3, SO2), from the sublimation in vacuum of pure liquids (e.g. water, acetone, acetonitrile, acetic acid, formic acid, ethanol and methanol) and from mixtures of different species (e.g. H2O:CO2, H2O:CO:NH3, H2O:CO2:NH3:CH4). Additionally films of solid biomolecules samples of astrochemistry/astrobiology interest (e.g. glycine, adenine) were probed. The code and the data-base obtained here are available on-line. The NKABS can also be employed to calculate refractive index of processed samples (by heating or radiation). Such data and the refractive index of virgin samples are required as input in several astrophysical models that calculate the radiative transfer in dusty astrophysical environments such as protoplanetary disks and circumstellar environments as well as dense molecular clouds.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry of Zn(1-x)Cu(x)O thin films based on a modified sol-gel dip-coating technique

Nanocrystalline Zn(1-x)Cu(x)O thin films (x=0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05) were synthesized by sol-gel dip-coating technique on a quartz substrate. These films were annealed at 350°C for 2 h. The X-ray diffraction showed a hexagonal crystal structure with high intensity peak for the (002) reflection plane indicating preferential growth along the c-axis of the crystal lattice. The peak position related to the (002) peak was shifted as a result of the copper ion incorporation, confirming the interstitial substitution of the zinc ions by the copper ions. This interstitial substitution leads to a decrease of an average crystallite size and lattice constants and an increase of the micro-strain up to 2 at.% of the copper amount. The surface morphology was explored by scanning electron microscopy which confirmed the homogenous distribution of nanoparticles in the deposited films along the quartz substrates. The energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy revealed absence of impurities in the as-deposited films. The high resolution electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction depicted that the films have polycrystalline nature. The film thickness and optical constants of the Zn(1-x)Cu(x)O thin films were estimated by fitting the spectroscopic ellipsometric data (ψ and Δ) using three different models. The refractive index was fitted using harmonic oscillator model from which the oscillator and the dispersive energies were found. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, energy loss functions were also determined.