In this application note we present the recording of a spectrum of the fluorescence of »Lumogen Yellow S0790« with our DIY spectrometers. Lumogen is a fluorescent pigment based on azomethine, which is used in many applications as a downshifting material.

Fields of application

It is used in various scientific and industrial fields, such as:

Clinical diagnostics

In medicine, Lumogen is used to amplify signals in immunological tests and other diagnostic procedures.

Biotechnology

In research, Lumogen is used as a marker for the visualization of biological processes, as it offers excellent sensitivity due to its strong fluorescence.

Chemical Analyses

Lumogen is often used in chemical analysis for the detection and quantification of substances.

Office supplies

Lumogen or similar fluorescent substances are also used in highlighters, among other things. The fluorescence is particularly noticeable under UV light, which means that text highlighted with such markers is highly visible on documents in sunlight.

Sensor coating

Lumogen coating can improve the optical properties of CCD/CMOS image sensors, in particular their sensitivity to specific wavelength ranges. This is particularly advantageous for applications in spectroscopy. Eureca therefore also uses Lumogen for its in-house sensor coating service.

Spectrum

To measure the fluorescence of Lumogen, we used one of our DIY spectrometers in a Czerny-Turner arrangement with a focal length of 150 mm. The excitation was carried out with a UV LED at 275 nm.

The spectrum shows a pronounced emission in the range between 510 nm and 600 nm. Since most silicon-based CCD/CMOS image sensors also exhibit good sensitivity in this range, this explains why Lumogen is well suited for coating such sensors for spectral broadening.

Interesting background information

In solar technology, Lumogen Yellow S0790 is also being investigated for use in solar cells. It can convert UV light, which is otherwise poorly absorbed by silicon cells, into visible light, which can improve the overall efficiency of solar cells. Studies show that Lumogen can achieve an increase in efficiency of up to 4 % through this conversion. (https://core.ac.uk/display/20256219)