Photoacoustic spectroscopy of photoactive matter — Applications to photographic emulsions

Abstract

A new technique — the photoacoustic spectroscopy with microphone detection has been successfully applied to the studies of spectral sensitivity of silver halide emulsions. Regardless of the fact that the sensitivity of photographic emulsions is greater or comparable with the detectivity of real photoacoustic transducers (i.e. the photoacoustic cell with microphone or piezoelectric transducer), absorption-like spectra of strongly diffusive and nontransparent silver halide emulsions can be readily recorded. Applications of this new technique for the studies of silver halide emulsions bears full potential advantages of photoacoustic spectroscopy. Particularly we demonstrate priority of the new technique over the conventional photographic sensitometry or reflectance spectroscopy both in qualitative and quantitative manner. Photoacoustic measurements of photochemical decomposition rates are shown and suggestions for the measurements of excitation energy transfer efficiencies are given. The results clearly show a unique applicability of the technique in fundamental as well as industrial research and process control of the photographic emulsion production.