Optical Fibre on New Turf

Optical fibre has already been hailed for its role in revolutionizing communication. Now, researchers take optical fibre to new domain of application. An Indian research team has designed an analytical method using optical fibre. The fibre-optic part accommodates sample volume of 1 microlitre placed between the two ends of optical fibres.

LPME (Liquid-phase microextraction) using 25–30 microlitre of organic solvent was found to produce more sensitive results than SDME (single drop microextraction). The new technique as used in combination with sample handling techniques produced limits of detection of analytes which were better than obtained by previously reported spectrophotometry. The findings of the study have been published in the 26th August 2009 issue of Analytica Chimica Acta.