AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Development of a Novel Microscope Spectrofluorometer for Individual Bioparticle Characterization
DONALD R. HUFFMAN, J. Alex Huffman, University of Arizona and University of Denver
Abstract Number: 133 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Biological particles can contribute to many deleterious human health effects and may play roles in environmental processes such as the formation and evolution of mixed-phase clouds and precipitation. Fluorescence-based sensors have been increasingly employed in recent years for the discrimination of biological particles from ambient samples. However, most commercial particle fluorescence instruments provide fluorescence information in relatively few channels of wavelength dispersion and at a cost of $10k’s to $100k’s. A prototype microscope particle spectrofluorometer (MPSF; patent-pending) has been developed to inexpensively measure fluorescence emission spectra from many individual particles in a sample. Two versions have been built and initially tested. A bench-top version utilizes standard optical microscope components for light manipulation and an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera to detect and record images and spectra. A portable version prototype has been built utilizing a smartphone camera for image collection and on-board Wi-Fi components for transmission of images for analysis via cloud computer. While development and testing is still in its early stages, the smartphone version of the instrument offers the possibility to contribute uniquely to research, teaching, and amateur science communities.