Excitation Light Intensity Research Articles

Dual-functional ratiometric fluorescence sensor based on silica spheres for highly selective detection of Hg2+ and Fe3+

Ratiometric fluorescence sensors, which validate the absence of ambient and excitation light intensity effects, have attracted significant attention. In this study, a novel nanohybrid dual-emission system was fabricated by combining nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) with 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ). This system allows for the simultaneous detection of Fe3+ and Hg2+ ions by utilizing distinct signals. A ternary hollow structure nanosensor containing core-shell silica spheres modified by 8-HQ molecules and decorated with carbon quantum dots was fabricated by subsequent solvothermal synthesis. The designed nanohybrid emits dual-emission fluorescence peaks at 480 and 340nm, originating from the intrinsic structure of NCQDs and 8-hydroxyquinoline, respectively. When Hg2+ is present, only the fluorescence intensity at 480nm is noticeably reduced. However, in the presence of Fe3+ ions, the fluorescence intensity at 480nm remains mostly unchanged, but clear fluorescence quenching is detected at 340nm. There was a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity ratios at 340 and 480nm and the concentration of Hg2+ and Fe3+, with detection limits of 9.50nM and 0.96μM, respectively. Furthermore, it demonstrated satisfactory assay performance in quantifying the mercury content in amalgam alloy and the Fe3+ concentration in a water sample. The results of this study offer a new approach to designing multifunctional fluorescent sensors and a potential application for biomedicine and environmental monitoring.

ProDiVis: a method to normalize fluorescence signal localization in 3D specimens.

A common problem in confocal microscopy is the decrease in intensity of excitation light and emission signal from fluorophores as they travel through 3D specimens, resulting in decreased signal detected as a function of depth. Here, we report a visualization program compatible with widely used fluorophores in cell biology to facilitate image interpretation of differential protein disposition in 3D specimens. Glioblastoma cell clusters were fluorescently labeled for mitochondrial complex I (COXI), P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), β-Actin, Ki-67, and DAPI. Each cell cluster was imaged using a laser scanning confocal microscope. We observed up to ∼70% loss in fluorescence signal across the depth in Z-stacks. This progressive underrepresentation of fluorescence intensity as the focal plane deepens hinders an accurate representation of signal location within a 3D structure. To address these challenges, we developed ProDiVis: a program that adjusts apparent fluorescent signals by normalizing one fluorescent signal to a reference signal at each focal plane. ProDiVis serves as a free and accessible, unbiased visualization tool to use in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy images and imaging software.

Multicolor and multimode luminescent lanthanide-doped Cs2NaInCl6:Sb3+ from visible to near infrared for versatile applications

Double halide perovskites have shown admirable potential in promising optoelectronic applications due to simple synthesis, good stability and high structural tolerance. However, the poor optical properties caused by the parity-forbidden transitions posts a stringent limitation on their potential applications. Herein, we dope the lanthanide (Ln3+) ions with abundant energy levels into the Cs2NaInCl6:Sb3+ single crystals, which not only achieve multicolor visible emissions spectra from blue to red light, but also expand to the near infrared region from 800 to 1900 nm. In addition, the phosphors enable the multimode emissions with the up-conversion and down-conversion photoluminescence. Intriguingly, the excitation source, and the excitation light intensity also endow the multicolor emissions. Thus, combining with the multicolor and multimode luminescent properties, Cs2NaInCl6:Sb3+/Ln3+ could be applied to night vision imaging, substance detection, optical thermometry, white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) and anti-counterfeiting. The maximum value of relative temperature sensitivity reaches as high as 1.207 % K−1, which is relatively higher than those of most metal halide perovskites. Moreover, the single-source WLED displays Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage color coordinates (0.32, 0.31), a correlated color temperature of 6673 K, and color rendering index of 81.7. These results demonstrate the potential applications in the multifunctional photoelectric applications.

Triplet-Triplet Annihilation-Based Photon Upconversion with a Macrocyclic Parallel Dimer.

The integration of multiple chromophore units into a single molecule is expected to improve the performance of photon upconversion based on triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA-UC) that can convert low energy photons to higher energy photons at low excitation intensity. In this study, a macrocyclic parallel dimer of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) with a precisely parallel orientation, named MPD-2, is synthesized, and its TTA-UC properties are investigated. MPD-2 shows a green-to-blue TTA-UC emission in the presence of a triplet sensitizer, platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP). Compared to monomeric DPA, MPD-2 results in an enhancement of the spin statistical factor of TTA and a decrease in the excitation light intensity due to the intramolecular TTA process. The obtained structure-property relationship provides important information for the further improvement of TTA-UC properties.

Study on the Performance of Deep Red to Near-Infrared pc-LEDs by the Simulation Method Considering the Distribution of Phosphor Particles.

Effectively utilizing deep red to near-infrared (DR-NIR) phosphors to achieve the optimal performance of NIR phosphor-converted white LEDs (DR-NIR pc-wLEDs) is currently a research hotspot. In this study, an optical model of DR-NIR pc-wLEDs with virtual multilayer fluorescent films was established based on the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. Different gradient distributions of the particles were assigned within the fluorescent film to explore their impact on the optical performance of pc-LEDs. The results show that, for the case with single-type particles, distributing more DR-NIR particles far from the blue LED chip increased the overall radiant power. The distribution of more DR-NIR particles near the chip increased the conversion ratio from blue to DR-NIR light. The ratio of the 707 nm fluorescence emission intensity to the 450 nm excitation light intensity increased from 1:0.51 to 1:0.28. For multiple-type particles, changes in the gradient distribution resulted in dual-nature changes, leading to a deterioration in the color rendering index and an increase in the correlated color temperature, while also improving the DR-NIR band ratio. The reabsorption caused by the partial overlap between the excitation band of the DR-NIR particles and the emission band of the other particles enhanced the radiant power at 707 nm. Distributing DR-NIR phosphor particles closer to the chip effectively amplified this effect. The proposed model and its results provide a solution for the forward design of particle distributions in fluorescent films to improve the luminous performance of DR-NIR pc-wLEDs.

Enhancement of visible light response of TiO2 photocatalyst by 3D-deposited Ag nanowires and its charge separation mechanism

In 3D-deposited AgNW/TiO2, which is prepared by spray-applying titanium dioxide suspension to deposited silver nanowire sheets, the synergistic effects of increased crossing points of AgNWs to enhance localized surface plasmon resonance excitation and longer-lived electrons in the conduction band of TiO2 generated by plasmon-induced charge transfer have successfully resulted in photocatalytic activity in the visible light range. We have developed photocatalytic sheets in which TiO2 particles are uniformly attached to 3D-deposited AgNWs. Regarding the prepared sheet, it was confirmed that TiO2 was indeed well adhered to the AgNWs, and electron transfer was efficient at the interface. This sheet solves the problem that the response wavelength range of the photocatalytic reaction using TiO2 is only in the ultraviolet region and exhibits sufficient photocatalytic effect in the visible light region. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements in the diffuse reflectance configuration confirmed that the electrons of AgNWs actually move into the conduction band of TiO2 under visible light and that the interaction is independent of the excitation light intensity, thereby extending the lifetime of the electrons.

Photoluminescence study of anatase TiO2 photocatalysts at the pico- and nanosecond timescales.

We studied the photoluminescence decay kinetics of three nanosized anatase TiO2 photocatalysts (particle diameter: 7, 25, or 200nm) at the pico- and nanosecond timescales for elucidating the origin of the luminescence. Luminescence spectra from these photocatalysts obtained under steady-state excitation conditions comprised green luminescence that decayed on the picosecond timescale and red luminescence that persisted at the nanosecond timescale. Among the photocatalysts with different sizes, there were marked differences in the rate of luminescence decay at the picosecond timescale (<600ps), although the spectral shapes were comparable. The similarity in the spectral shape indicated that self-trapped excitons (STEs) directly populated in the bulk of the particle by light excitation emit the luminescence in a picosecond timescale, and the difference in the rate of luminescence decay originated from the quenching at the particle surface. Furthermore, we theoretically considered excitation light intensity dependence on the quantum yield of the luminescence and found that the quenching reaction was not limited by the diffusion of the STEs but by the reaction at the particle surface. Both the spectral shape and time-evolution of the red luminescence from the deep trapped excitons in the nanosecond timescale varied among the photocatalysts, suggesting that the trap sites in different photocatalysts have different characteristics with respect to luminescence. Therefore, the relation between trap states and photocatalytic activity will be elucidated from the red luminescence study.

Temperature imaging inside fluid devices using a ratiometric near infrared (NIR-II/III) fluorescent Y2O3: Nd3+, Yb3+, Er3+ nanothermometer

Luminescence thermometry is a non-contact method that can measure surface temperatures and the temperature of the area where the fluorescent probe is located, allowing temperature distribution visualizations with a camera. Ratiometric fluorescence thermometry, which uses the intensity ratio of fluorescence peaks at two wavelengths with different fluorescence intensity dependencies, is an excellent method for visualizing temperature distributions independent of the fluorophore spatial concentration, excitation light intensity and absolute fluorescence intensity. Herein, Nd3+/Yb3+/Er3+-doped Y2O3 nanomaterials with a diameter of 200 nm were prepared as phosphors for temperature distribution measurement of fluids at different temperatures. The advantages of this designed fluorescent material include non-aggregation in water and the fact that its near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence excitation (808 nm) is not absorbed by water, thereby minimizing sample heating upon irradiation. Under optical excitation at 808 nm, the ratio of the fluorescence intensities of Yb3+ (IYb; 975 nm) and Er3+ (IEr; 1550 nm), which exhibited different temperature responses, indicated the temperature distribution inside the fluid device. Thus, this technique using Nd3+/Yb3+/Er3+-doped Y2O3 is expected to be applied for temperature distribution mapping analysis inside fluidic devices as a ratiometric NIR fluorescence thermometer, which is unaffected by laser-induced heating.Graphical abstract

A universal dual-channel ratiometric photoelectrochemical sensing platform with integrated ionic liquid-sensitized In2S3@BiOBr0.8I0.2/PEDOT photoanode and Cu@Cu2O photocathode

The generation, separation and interfacial reaction of photogenerated carriers are crucial to realize efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection. However, fast electron-hole recombination and slow interfacial reaction dynamics remain challenges for constructing advanced PEC platforms. Herein, ionic liquids (i.e. 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm]BF4) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIm]PF6)) are introduced as morphology modulator and supporting electrolyte into the synthesis of Cu@Cu2O and the heterogeneous combination of In2S3@BiOBr0.8I0.2 with electrochemically polymerized 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT), for constructing a PEC sensing platform. As their unique microstructure, the formed p-n junction and the doped ionic liquids benefit the charge separation/transfer, the resulted [BMIm]BF4 − In2S3@BiOBr0.8I0.2/ [BMIm]PF6 − PEDOT/AuNPs (i.e. Au nanoparticles) photoanode material and [BMIm]PF6 − Cu@Cu2O photocathode material show enhanced interfacial reaction dynamics and photo-conversion efficiency. In order to improve the accuracy and reliability of PEC detection, the potentially responsive photocathode and photoanode materials are integrated on the same indium tin oxide electrode for potential-resolved two-channel ratiometric PEC detection. By tuning the bias voltage, the cathode and anode currents can be well distinguished, and dual signals can be obtained during a single detection run and used as reference for each other. Then, a biometric sensing platform for vascular endothelial growth factor and epithelial cell adhesion factor is constructed by combining with aptamers and it demonstrates excellent analytical performance. Compared with the traditional PEC biosensors, the platform can effectively eliminate the detection errors caused by the fluctuation of excitation light intensity and preparation conditions. In addition, the platform is universal, by changing the recognition element, it can be applied to the detection of a variety of biomarkers.

Wavelength-dependent photoelectrochemical response demonstrated by the determination of acetaminophen and rutin in differential molecularly imprinted polymers strategy

Herein, the excitation wavelength-dependent responses of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors were investigated, using acetaminophen (AP), rutin (RT) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) as the model templates, pyrrole as functional monomer, CuInS2@ZnS/TiO2 NTs as the basic photoelectrode. With wavelength λ > 240 nm, the photocurrent of MIPPFOA enhanced at higher concentrations of PFOA. With increasing AP concentration, the photocurrents of MIPAP could decline with λ < 271 nm, not change at λ = 270 nm, or increase with λ > 270 nm. As RT concentration increased, the photocurrents of MIPRT could decrease (λ < 431 nm), not change (λ = 431 nm) or increase (λ > 431 nm). The PEC responses depend on the comprehensive interaction of two contrary mechanisms from the template molecules within the MIP membrane. The photocurrent is enhanced by the role of the electron donor for photo-generated holes but attenuated due to the steric hindrance effect and the excitation light intensity loss via absorption or scattering. The apparent molar absorption coefficient of AP and RT within MIP membranes are 9.1–19.4 folds of those measured from dilute solutions. By using a routine UV lamp as the light source, the photocurrents of MIPRT at 254 nm and MIPAP at 365 nm were used to determine RT and AP, with the detection limits of 5.3 and 16 nM, respectively. The interference from the non-specific adsorption of interferents on the surfaces of MIPAP and MIPRT was reduced by one order of magnitude via a differential strategy.

Quantum Sensing and Light Guiding with Fluorescent Nanodiamond‐Doped PVA Fibers

AbstractFluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) containing quantum defects enable the optical measurement of electromagnetic fields and temperature and are among the most developed nanoscale quantum sensors today. Yet, for many applications in biomedicine and beyond, FNDs must be integrated into biocompatible substrates that preserve FND sensitivity and bring FNDs within nanoscale distance of their sensing target. At the same time, the high excitation light intensity required for most quantum sensing protocols remains a major challenge for applications in biomedicine. Here, it is shown that FNDs embedded in polyvinyl‐alcohol (PVA) fibers are a powerful 3D platform for nanoscale quantum sensing via light guiding. First, it is demonstrated that biocompatible PVA fibers can guide light to excite FNDs &gt;10 µm from the excitation beam. Using this light‐guiding‐enabled excitation, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and T1 spin relaxometry measurements are performed using the nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) center in FNDs. Through ODMR thermometry, it is shown that light‐guiding‐enabled excitation mitigates light‐induced heating. Finally, the quantum sensing capability of the platform is established by detecting paramagnetic gadolinium in a dry and aqueous environment using T1 relaxometry of the NV center in FNDs. These results pave the way for light‐guiding‐enabled optical quantum sensing in biomedicine using nanodiamond‐doped biosubstrates.

Understanding the reaction mechanism and kinetics of photocatalytic oxygen evolution on CoOx-loaded bismuth vanadate.

Photocatalytic water splitting for green hydrogen production is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Loading a co-catalyst is essential for accelerating the kinetics, but the detailed reaction mechanism and role of the co-catalyst are still obscure. Here, we focus on cobalt oxide (CoOx) loaded on bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) to investigate the impact of CoOx on the OER mechanism. We employ photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy and simultaneous measurements of photoinduced absorption and photocurrent. The reduction of V5+ in BiVO4 promotes the formation of a surface state on CoOx that plays a crucial role in the OER. The third-order reaction rate with respect to photohole charge density indicates that reaction intermediate species accumulate in the surface state through a three-electron oxidation process prior to the rate-determining step. Increasing the excitation light intensity onto the CoOx-loaded anode improves the photoconversion efficiency significantly, suggesting that the OER reaction at dual sites in an amorphous CoOx(OH)y layer dominates over single sites. Therefore, CoOx is directly involved in the OER by providing effective reaction sites, stabilizing reaction intermediates, and improving the charge transfer rate. These insights help advance our understanding of co-catalyst-assisted OER to achieve efficient water splitting.

Continuously wavelength tunable, continuous wave laser ideal for UV Raman spectroscopy

AbstractWe utilize a novel, high‐power, tunable, continuous wave (CW) deep UV laser to measure resonance Raman spectra of phenolate solutions with high signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNR). In UV resonance Raman (UVRR), increased coupling of the excitation light with a chromophore can transfer molecules into excited states that cause increased heating and photochemistry. Deep UV lasers have traditionally utilized high peak powers to enable efficient single‐pass nonlinear conversion from visible into near infrared light. Nonlinear phenomena such as the formation of transient radical species, Raman saturation, thermal heating, and dielectric breakdown can introduce extraneous light sources that can complicate the interpretation of the Raman spectrum. Dielectric breakdown can increase the baseline, increase noise, and sometimes saturate the detector, preventing Raman detection. Spontaneous Raman scattering intensities should scale linearly with the excitation light intensity. However, this linear behavior does not always occur with pulsed laser excitation. This occurs because stimulated Raman scattering can cause a superlinear intensity response, or transient absorption can cause sublinear intensity responses. CW laser excitation excites samples with electric fields that are much lower than typical pulsed laser excitation. This eliminates the nonlinear responses. The geometry of our new CW laser enables high gain in the harmonic generation cavities that achieve high harmonic generation efficiencies. Average power in the deep UV is &gt;30 mW for wavelengths as short as 206 nm. In the work here, we demonstrate that CW excitation is ideal for resonance Raman measurements in general to reduce spectral complexity.

Importance of evaluating the excitation intensity dependence of the temperature-dependent luminescence: Impact on optical thermometry and anti-thermal quenching performance

Afterglow materials exhibit distinct temperature-dependent luminescence compared to general optical materials due to the presence of extra unique energy transfer paths from traps to luminescent centers. These paths include: 1) energy transfer through the conduction band (CB), and 2) energy transfer via quantum tunneling channels to various energy levels. These have a notable impact on both the overall intensity and the relative intensity of emission at different temperatures, which is often unintentionally overlooked. To investigate the influence of these additional paths on temperature-dependent luminescence, we employed a simple yet effective method of varying the excitation light intensity in Y2CaSnGa4O12:Pr3+, an afterglow material. And the influences on optical thermometer and anti-thermal quenching performance were illustrated comprehensively. We ultimately arrived at some interesting and widespread conclusions: 1) The performance of fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry, which relies on excitation intensity, can be stabilized by avoiding the presence of charging traps. The high sensitivity of the afterglow intensity ratio (AIR)-based thermometry, which does not require an external light source, may be closely associated with the quantum tunneling process. 2) The performance of trap-assisted anti-thermal quenching is excitation intensity-dependent. We elucidated the specific contribution of traps that had previously been unaccounted for in earlier reports.

Mixed potential type methanol gas sensor based on Gd2Zr2O7 solid state electrolyte and ZnSb2O6 sensing electrode

With the development of methanol fuel cell vehicles, the hidden danger of methanol leakage has become a safety problem that cannot be ignored. The timely and effective detection of methanol is the premise to ensure safety. Herein, a mixed potential type methanol sensor was developed using Gd2Zr2O7 solid state electrolyte and ZnSb2O6 sensing electrode. The fabricated sensor can realize effective detection in a wide range of 0.2–1000 ppm with the sensitivities of − 4.7 mV/ppm and − 55.9 mV/decade to 0.2–5 ppm and 5–1000 ppm methanol. The sensing behavior of the sensor is explained based on mixed potential sensing mechanism in two cases of charge transfer-limiting and mass transport limiting processes. By comparing the sensing behavior under illumination conditions, it is found that the sensing performance of the mixed potential sensor can be improved by adjusting the wavelength and intensity of excitation light. The sensor possessed good repeatability, selectivity and stability in the systematic and detailed evaluation of sensing performances, which proves its potential and reliability for practical application in methanol fuel vehicles.

Evaluation of intracellular lipid droplets viscosity by a probe with high fluorescence quantum yield

BackgroundLipid droplets (LDs) are an important organelle as the main energy storage site in cells. LDs viscosity controls the material and energy exchange between it and other organelles. Furthermore, the LDs metabolic abnormalities, cell dysfunction, some diseases may be attributed to the singular LDs viscosity. Currently, the fluorescent probes for sensing the variations of LDs viscosity are still scarce and expose some drawbacks of low fluorescence quantum yield, low sensitivity and LDs polarity interference. Thus, the development of high performance probes is significant to detect LDs viscosity. ResultsWe hereby provide a lipophilic fluorescent probe (TPE-BET) with high fluorescence quantum yield (Φf, 0.91 in glycerol) for imaging LDs viscosity in living cells. With the increase of viscosity from 0.54 cp to 934 cp, the fluorescence at λex/λem = 405/520 nm and the fluorescence quantum yield of TPE-BET linearly increased by 64.9 and 128.5 folds, respectively. Meanwhile, the outstanding LDs staining capability of TPE-BET may provide a high spatial resolution for LDs imaging. The cell imaging of TPE-BET not only successfully observed the viscosity variations of LDs in cell stress models, e.g., ferroptosis, inflammation and mitophagy, but also revealed the increased viscosity and extracellular delivery of LDs in heavy metal cell injury models (Hg/As) for the first time, which may supply concrete evidence for understanding the structure and function of LDs. SignificanceThis represents a new fluorescent probe TPE-BET with high fluorescence quantum yield for imaging LDs viscosity, which may decrease the dose of probe and excitation light intensity along with the improvement on signal noise ratio (S/N). The imaging results of TPE-BET clarified that LDs viscosity may be an appraisal index on cell differentiation, state evaluation and drug screening.

Plasmoelectronic properties of self-assembled gold nanoparticles: impedance spectroscopy experiments combined with numerical simulations

Plasmoelectronics is a fast developing field driven by the combination of charge transport and surface plasmons in metal nanostructures. In this paper, we report on theoretical and experimental investigations of the plasmoelectronic properties of self-assembled monolayers of colloidal gold nanoparticles (NPs). A local plasmonic-electronic nanojunction is introduced, as the fundamental building block of a mesoscale electrical network, and serves as the beginning point for the development of a multiscale modeling strategy. The interparticle charge tunneling and accumulation account for the dynamical charge transport; the plasmoelectronic properties are implemented at the nanoscale using electrodynamic calculations based on the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method. The electric characteristics of the macroscopic NP network are calculated using a numerical resolution of the current-bias equations based on Kirchhoff's laws. Disorder effects due to size and position fluctuations of the NPs within the network as well as dislocations and point defects in their spatial arrangement are taken into account. The effects of light excitation intensity and wavelength on the nanojunction photoconductance and on the macroscopic photoresistance of the NP network are addressed. In particular, plasmoelectronic conduction paths are extracted from the coupled DDA-Kirchhoff numerical simulations, and their statistical distribution is investigated as well as their dependence on path length. The theoretical results are compared with impedance spectroscopy measurements performed under optical excitation. We found a good agreement between the predicted impedance Nyquist plots and resonance properties, and the measurements. In particular, we were able to estimate the surface plasmon-assisted photoelectric conversion efficiency involving first neighbor NPs. We found that the photoconductance of a single nanojunction formed by a dimer of nearly touching NPs is around 18 nS/W/cm2 under resonant plasmonic excitation. The presented work provides insight into the photoinduced charge transport in self-assembled NP networks and opens the route to novel applications in the field of plasmoelectronics.

Long Lived Delayed Fluorescence of Ternary Naphthalene–β-Cyclodextrin–Cyclohexane Complexes at Room Temperature

Long-lived delayed fluorescence of dispersions of microcrystals of naphthalene–β-cyclodextrin–cyclohexane ternary complexes has been studied. It has been established that the delayed fluorescence is due to the T–T annihilation process. The kinetics of delayed fluorescence has a nonexponential character; the average lifetime is 0.68 s. The shape of the decay rate curves of delayed fluorescence does not depend on the intensity of excitation light. The nonexponential nature of the delayed fluorescence is presumably associated with the presence in the crystals of paired naphthalene molecules with different mutual positions and pair formation energies.

Study of Raman scattering enhancement method based on optical multiplexing for on-line detection of gas components in strong-impact environments.

On-line gas detection under strong impact such as combustion and explosion is of great significance for understanding the reaction processes. To realize simultaneous on-line detection of various gases under strong impact, an approach based on optical multiplexing for enhancing spontaneous Raman scattering is proposed. A single beam is transmitted several times using optical fibers through a specific measurement point in the reaction zone. Thus, the excitation light intensity at the measurement point is enhanced and the Raman signal intensity is substantially increased. Indeed, the signal intensity can be increased by a factor of ∼10, and the constituent gases in air can be detected with sub-second time resolution, under a 100 g impact.

Determining the Reaction Mechanisms of Photo-Thermo Synergetic Processes by Kinetic Investigations.

Photo-thermo catalysis utilizing light has been a promising strategy to improve the conventional thermal catalytic activity and attracts great attention nowadays. However, how heat works in synergy with light radiation is still unclear. This Concept article is trying to clarify the specific contents via summarizing the kinetic studies including 1) proposing elementary steps through pressure dependence studies, 2) estimating reaction barriers through measuring the apparent activation energies and 3) assigning the kinetically relevant step(s) with kinetic isotope effects (KIE) as well as 4) exploring the relationship of the reaction rate with the light excitation wavelength and light intensity. The challenges in kinetic studies such as describing the light-induced carrier transfer process, the surface temperature under light illumination as well as reaction intermediates were discussed at the same time. Finally, an outlook about kinetic studies in clarifying the photo-thermo catalysis reaction mechanism was proposed.