Friday 27 January 2017

TeraView to present results from pharmaceutical studies at this year’s Photonics West

TeraView's Dr Philip Taday will be presenting a talk entitled 'Using terahertz-pulsed imaging (TPI) to study osmotic tablets' at this years SPIE Photonics West conference. The event will take place at The Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, USA.

The conference runs from 28th January until 2nd February 2017. TeraView will be presenting their talk on Tuesday 31 January, 10:30 - 12:20 pm (Room 270).

More details on the conference can be found here.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Contrast in Terahertz Images of Archival Documents—Part I: Influence of the Optical Parameters from the Ink and Support

Tiphaine Bardon ; Robert K. May ; J. Bianca Jackson ; Gabriëlle Beentjes ; Gerrit de Bruin ; Philip F. Taday ; Matija Strlič


Abstract:

This study aims to objectively inform curators when terahertz time-domain (TD) imaging set in reflection mode is likely to give well-contrasted images of inscriptions in a complex archival document and is a useful non-invasive alternative to current digitisation processes. To this end, the dispersive refractive indices and absorption coefficients from various archival materials are assessed and their influence on contrast in terahertz images from historical documents is explored. Sepia ink and inks produced with bistre or verdigris mixed with a solution of Arabic gum or rabbit skin glue are unlikely to lead to well-contrasted images. However, dispersions of bone black, ivory black, iron gall ink, malachite, lapis lazuli, minium and vermilion are likely to lead to well-contrasted images. Inscriptions written with lamp black, carbon black and graphite give the best imaging results. The characteristic spectral signatures from iron gall ink, minium and vermilion pellets between 5 and 100 cm−1 relate to a ringing effect at late collection times in TD waveforms transmitted through these pellets. The same ringing effect can be probed in waveforms reflected from iron gall, minium and vermilion ink deposits at the surface of a document. Since TD waveforms collected for each scanning pixel can be Fourier-transformed into spectral information, terahertz TD imaging in reflection mode can serve as a hyperspectral imaging tool. However, chemical recognition and mapping of the ink is currently limited by the fact that the morphology of the document influences more the terahertz spectral response of the document than the resonant behaviour of the ink.

Full article here.


Wednesday 11 January 2017

Preparation, characterization, Raman, and terahertz spectroscopy study on carbon nanotubes, graphene nano-sheets, and onion like carbon materials

A. Abouelsayed ; Badawi Anis ; Safwat Hassaballa ; Ahmed S.G. Khalil ; Usama M. Rashed ; Kamal A. Eid ; Emad Al-Ashkar ; W. El hotaby


Abstract:

We present the optical properties of carbon nanotubes, graphene nanosheets, and onion like carbon (OLC) samples with different cages size in wide frequency range from 0.06 to 1650 THz. The samples were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Raman, and UV–Vis-IR-THz spectroscopy. The broad absorption bands centered at around 10, 3, 2.5, 1.5, and 1.8 THz for SWCNTs, MWCNTs, graphene nanosheets, large cages (OLC1), and small cages (OLC2) samples, respectively, are assigned to plasmon resonance due to the localization of free carriers in a finite length. For SWCNTs, both the plasmon band position and the Drude weight (D) are located at higher values as compared with MWCNTs, graphene nanosheets, and OLC sample, suggesting that the dimensionality of the system plays a major role regarding the carrier mobility of the graphene structure. The differences in the estimated values of D, the Fermi energy (Ef), and density of carriers (N) in case of OLC samples can be due to the variation in sizes of the cages and the variation of the defects in the structure of the outermost layers of cages, where each cages consist of multi-layers of graphene enclosed one into another.

Full article available here.