<title>Measuring glucose concentration by Raman spectroscopy using liquid core optical fibers</title>

Abstract

We have studied Raman spectra of glucose aqueous solutions by using a long Teflon-AF2400 liquid core optical fiber (LCOFs), and have measured the glucose concentrations in solutions according to Raman spectra of solutions. We also have compared Raman Spectra of aqueous glucose solutions collected in LCOFs with those collected in a conventional 90° scattering geometry, and have obtained a detection sensitivity enhancement factor more than 100. A clear correlation between glucose Raman signals and glucose concentrations has been established by data analysis. It has shown that compared to conventional methods. LCOFs can provide higher Raman signal intensities, higher detection sensitivity and signal-to-noise rate in Raman spectroscopy measurements, in which the effective optical path length through the liquid sample is much longer than it would normally be. This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring accurately glucose concentration by Raman spectroscopy using LCOFs, and can be used to evaluate the potential of Raman spectroscopy using LCOFs to perform microanalysis and measurements of liquid analytes in solutions with clinical accuracy. This technique is capable of measuring the concentration of other Raman-active liquid samples and complicated biology system.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.