THE RAMAN LASER FIBER OPTICS (RLFO) METHOD AND ITS APPLICATIONS

The Raman laser fiber optics (RLFO) method has been performed in this laboratory for several years. The method is based on Raman spectrometry as an analytical tool, associated with optical fibers to transport the excitation and the diffused light; it has proved to be very promising for remote on-line analytical control of the chemical composition of mixtures. Many studies have already been carried out and this paper presents a review of the results already obtained: measurements at distances of up to several hundred meters between the instrument and the industrial site can now be routinely obtained. Mathematical treatments using, for example, factor analysis markedly improve the quality of the analytical procedures, together with the conception of new optrodes specific for various applications: control of the chemical composition in chemical plants, possibly in the presence of dusty, corrosive or radioactive atmospheres; checking the effect of high temperature and pressure in analytical processes; designing and testing industrial RLFO devices and systems for pharmaceutical control, food science, and biomedical problems including in vivo situations. A prospective of new improvements, like CD array detection systems, also in the near-infrared region, or new sources as laser photodiodes, is also presented.