A closed-loop pump-driven wire-guided flow jet for ultrafast spectroscopy of liquid samples

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Biophysics

Background:

• Spectroscopic studies often require minimizing optical artifacts.
• Analyzing precious biological samples in limited volumes presents unique challenges.
• Traditional setups can be affected by window contributions, especially in UV femtosecond studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and characterize a closed-loop, pump-driven, wire-guided flow jet system.
• To evaluate the system's optical quality and stability for various liquids.
• To enable windowless spectroscopic measurements for biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of a closed-loop pump-driven wire-guided flow jet system.
• Characterization of liquid jet thickness (90-370 μm) and stability (0.76% variation).
• Measurement of optical transmission stability over hours (0.8% RMS).

Main Results:

• The flow jet system exhibits excellent optical quality across diverse liquids, including alcohol and phosphate buffers.
• The liquid film is highly stable, with minimal thickness variation.
• Long-term optical stability was achieved, outperforming the noise floor of the spectroscopy setup.

Conclusions:

• The developed flow jet system provides a stable, windowless platform for spectroscopic analysis.
• Its design is optimized for precious biological samples and UV femtosecond spectroscopy.
• Eliminating window contributions enhances spectroscopic data quality for sensitive measurements.