Absorption coefficient measurements of particle-laden filters using laser heating: Validation with nigrosin

A laser-heating technique, referred as the laser-driven thermal reactor, was used in conjunction with laser transmissivity measurements to determine the absorption coefficient of particle-laden substrates (e.g., quartz-fiber filters). The novelty of this approach is that it analyzes a wide variety of specific samples (not just filtered samples) and overcomes measurement issues (e.g., absorption enhancement) associated with other filter-based particle absorption techniques. The absorption coefficient was determined for nigrosin-laden, quartz-fiber filters and the effect of the filter on the absorption measurements was estimated when compared to the isolated nigrosin results. The isolated nigrosin absorption coefficient compared favorably with Lorenz-Mie calculations for an idealized polydispersion of spherical particles (based on a measured nigronsin/de-ionized water suspension size distribution) dispersed throughout a volume equivalent to that of the nigrosin-laden filter. To validate the approach, the absorption coefficient of a nigrosin/de-ionized water suspension was in good agreement with results obtained from an ultraviolet/visible spectrometer. In addition, the estimated imaginary part of the refractive index from the Lorenz-Mie calculations compared well with literature values and was used to estimate the absorption coefficient of optically opaque packed nigrosin.

► Novel laser-heating technique to measure the particle absorption coefficient. ► Overcomes absorption enhancement issues associated with filter-based absorption. ► Nigrosin absorption coefficient determined for nigrosin-laden quartz-fiber. ► Optically opaque nigrosin results compared to literature. ► Nigrosin/water suspensions results validated with ultraviolet/visible spectrometer.