Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sensitive infrared spectroscopy of isoprene at the part per billion level using a quantum cascade laser spectrometer

  • Published:
Applied Physics B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A quantum cascade laser-based infrared spectrometer equipped with a multipass cell has been used to perform sensitive infrared spectroscopy of isoprene at part per billion (ppbv) concentration levels. The instrument was used to measure the absorption of the strong Q-branch of the ν26 vibrational mode of isoprene near 992 cm−1 to determine isoprene concentrations in gas-phase samples. The response of the spectrometer is highly linear in the concentration range measured (0.3–10.5 parts per million by volume) and the lowest noise-equivalent concentration determined for the spectrometer is 3.2 ppbv at an optimal averaging time of 9 s when performing measurements at atmospheric pressure. At reduced pressure (190 Torr), the lowest noise-equivalent concentration increases to 9 pbbv, but the reduced pressure decreases spectral interference caused by absorption peaks from other chemical species, namely ammonia, methanol, and carbon dioxide. The spectrometer was used to directly measure the isoprene concentration in breath samples from a volunteer without any sample processing, showing the potential real-world application of the present approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A. H. Steiner and A. L. Goldstein, in Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere, edited by R. Koppmann (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, 2007), pp. 83–127.

  2. A.B. Guenther, X. Jiang, C.L. Heald, T. Sakulyanontvittaya, T. Duhl, L.K. Emmons, X. Wang, Geosci. Model Dev. 5, 1471–1492 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. M. Claeys, B. Graham, G. Vas, W. Wang, R. Vermeylen, V. Pashynska, J. Cafmeyer, P. Guyon, M.O. Andreae, P. Artaxo, W. Maenhaut, Science 303, 1173–1176 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. D.R. Worton, J.D. Surratt, B.W. LaFranchi, A.W.H. Chan, Y. Zhao, R.J. Weber, J.-H. Park, J.B. Gilman, J. de Gouw, C. Park, G. Schade, M. Beaver, J.M. St. Clair, J. Crounse, P. Wennberg, G.M. Wolfe, S. Harrold, J.A. Thornton, D.K. Farmer, K.S. Docherty, M.J. Cubison, J.-L. Jimenez, A.A. Frossard, L.M. Russell, K. Kristensen, M. Glasius, J. Mao, X. Ren, W. Brune, E.C. Browne, S.E. Pusede, R.C. Cohen, J.H. Seinfeld, A.H. Goldstein, Environ. Sci. Technol. 47, 11403–11413 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. R. Atkinson, J. Arey, Atmos. Environ. 37, 197–219 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Z. Mo, M. Shao, W. Wang, Y. Liu, M. Wang, S. Lu, Sci. Total Environ. 627, 1485–1494 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. R. Salerno-Kennedy, K.D. Cashman, Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. 117, 180–186 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. N. Alkhouri, T. Singh, E. Alsabbagh, J. Guirguis, T. Chami, I. Hanouneh, D. Grove, R. Lopez, R. Dweik, Clin. Transl. Gastroenterol. 6, e112–e117 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. C. Stönner, A. Edtbauer, B. Derstroff, E. Bourtsoukidis, T. Klüpfel, J. Wicker, J. Williams, PLoS ONE 13, 1–14 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. J.A. de Gouw, P.D. Goldan, C. Warneke, W.C. Kuster, J.M. Roberts, M. Marchewka, S.B. Bertman, A.A.P. Pszenny, W.C. Keene, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 108, 1–18 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  11. J. De Gouw, C. Warneke, Mass Spectrom. Rev. 26, 223–257 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. A.T. Güntner, N.J. Pineau, D. Chie, F. Krumeich, S.E. Pratsinis, J. Mater. Chem. B 4, 5358–5366 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. J. Van Den Broek, A.T. Güntner, S.E. Pratsinis, ACS Sens. 3, 677–683 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Y. Park, R. Yoo, S. Ryull Park, J.H. Lee, H. Jung, H.S. Lee, W. Lee, Sens Actuators B Chem. 290, 258–266 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. J. Rinne, T. Karl, A. Guenther, Atmos. Environ. 131, 225–227 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. L.S. Rothman, I.E. Gordon, Y. Babikov, A. Barbe, D. Chris Benner, P.F. Bernath, M. Birk, L. Bizzocchi, V. Boudon, L.R. Brown, A. Campargue, K. Chance, E.A. Cohen, L.H. Coudert, V.M. Devi, B.J. Drouin, A. Fayt, J.M. Flaud, R.R. Gamache, J.J. Harrison, J.M. Hartmann, C. Hill, J.T. Hodges, D. Jacquemart, A. Jolly, J. Lamouroux, R.J. Le Roy, G. Li, D.A. Long, O.M. Lyulin, C.J. Mackie, S.T. Massie, S. Mikhailenko, H.S.P. Müller, O.V. Naumenko, A.V. Nikitin, J. Orphal, V. Perevalov, A. Perrin, E.R. Polovtseva, C. Richard, M.A.H. Smith, E. Starikova, K. Sung, S. Tashkun, J. Tennyson, G.C. Toon, V.G. Tyuterev, G. Wagner, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 130, 4–50 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. S.W. Sharpe, T.J. Johnson, R.L. Sams, P.M. Chu, G.C. Rhoderick, P.A. Johnson, Appl. Spectrosc. 58, 1452–1461 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. J.S. Li, W. Chen, H. Fischer, Appl. Spectrosc. Rev. 48, 523–559 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. J. Sun, J. Ding, N. Liu, G. Yang, J. Li, Spectrochim. Acta Part A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc. 191, 532–538 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Z. Du, S. Zhang, J. Li, N. Gao, K. Tong, Appl. Sci. 9, 338 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. D.J. Miller, K. Sun, L. Tao, M.A. Khan, M.A. Zondlo, Atmos Meas. Tech. 7, 81–93 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. I. B. Pollack, J. Lindaas, J. R. Roscioli, M. Agnese, W. Permar, L. Hu, and E. V. Fischer, Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss. 1–36 (2019).

  23. N.S. Daghestani, R. Brownsword, D. Weidmann, Opt. Express 22, A1731 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Y. Cao, N.P. Sanchez, W. Jiang, R.J. Griffin, F. Xie, L.C. Hughes, C. Zah, F.K. Tittel, Opt. Express 23, 2121 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. J. Li, H. Deng, J. Sun, B. Yu, H. Fischer, Sens. Actuators B Chem. 231, 723–732 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. O. Aseev, B. Tuzson, H. Looser, P. Scheidegger, C. Liu, C. Morstein, B. Niederhauser, L. Emmenegger, Opt. Express 27, 5314–5325 (2019)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. F. Kühnemann, M. Wolfertz, S. Arnold, M. Lagemann, A. Popp, G. Schüler, A. Jux, W. Boland, Appl. Phys. B Lasers Opt. 75, 397–403 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. F. Adler, P. Masłowski, A. Foltynowicz, K.C. Cossel, T.C. Briles, I. Hartl, J. Ye, Opt. Express 18, 21861–21872 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. C.S. Brauer, T.A. Blake, A.B. Guenther, S.W. Sharpe, R.L. Sams, T.J. Johnson, Atmos Meas. Tech. 7, 3839–3847 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. D. Perez-Guaita, V. Kokoric, A. Wilk, S. Garrigues, B. Mizaikoff, J. Breath Res. 8, 26003 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. M.V. Pinto Pereira, T.P. Hoadley, M.C. Iranpour, M.N. Tran, J.T. Stewart, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 350, 37–42 (2018)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. C.S. Goldenstein, V.A. Miller, R. Mitchell Spearrin, C.L. Strand, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 200, 249–257 (2017)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. C. Turner, P. Španěl, D. Smith, Physiol. Meas. 27, 13–22 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. S. Zhou, Y. Han, B. Li, Appl. Phys. B Lasers Opt. 122, 1–8 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. C. Turner, P. Španěl, D. Smith, Physiol. Meas. 27, 321–337 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. F. Nadeem, J. Mandon, A. Khodabakhsh, S. Cristescu, F. Harren, Sensors 18, 2050 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. C. Kalogridis, V. Gros, R. Sarda-Esteve, B. Langford, B. Loubet, B. Bonsang, N. Bonnaire, E. Nemitz, A.C. Genard, C. Boissard, C. Fernandez, E. Ormeño, D. Baisnée, I. Reiter, J. Lathière, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 14, 10085–10102 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dave Lewis for the loan of the multipass cell that was used in the present work. This work was supported by startup funding from Connecticut College.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Connecticut College, New London, CT, 06320, USA

    Jacob T. Stewart, Jacob Beloin, Melanie Fournier & Grace Kovic

Authors
  1. Jacob T. Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jacob Beloin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Melanie Fournier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Grace Kovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacob T. Stewart.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Stewart, J.T., Beloin, J., Fournier, M. et al. Sensitive infrared spectroscopy of isoprene at the part per billion level using a quantum cascade laser spectrometer. Appl. Phys. B 126, 181 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-020-07532-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-020-07532-2

Search

Navigation