Abstract
This paper reviews the applications of IR-laser photoacoustics to trace-gas monitoring as well as to spectroscopic studies on absorbing liquids. In the first part we present a stationary, dual-beam CO-laser and a mobile CO 2-laser photoacoustic system which have both been applied to the monitoring of various gaseous pollutants. Emphasis is put on selectivity, sensitivity and on temporal resolution. Novel cell designs and experimental techniques and an iterative procedure for the analysis of photoacoustic spectra of multicomponent mixtures are introduced. New results are presented for measurements on car and industrial exhausts as well as on ambient air. The second part is devoted to theoretical and experimental photoacoustic studies on strongly absorbing liquids, in particular on the investigation of different boundary conditions. A characteristic enhancement of the photoacoustic signal in the liquid is obtained if a liquid or solid surface layer is present. This new phenomenon permits the analysis of surface films with a thickness of ⩾ 1 μm. Furthermore, the photoacoustic in-situ monitoring of the polymerization process on a liquid surface is presented for the first time.
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