nearUVand

NearUVand is a term used to describe an interdisciplinary approach in materials analysis that combines near-ultraviolet excitation with multi-modal detection to characterize chemical and physical properties of substances. The concept emerged in the early 2000s within spectroscopy and imaging communities seeking non-destructive methods for pigment, polymer, and biological materials.

Principles: Near-ultraviolet radiation (roughly 300–400 nm) interacts with materials by absorption, fluorescence, phosphorescence, or scattering. NearUVand integrates excitation with complementary detection channels such as reflectance, absorbance, and photoluminescence to produce a richer data set. Data processing often includes baseline correction, normalization, and multivariate analysis.

Techniques and implementations: Common implementations include NUV-driven spectrophotometry, NUV-induced fluorescence imaging, and hybrid imaging systems that fuse UV reflectance with visible or near-infrared data. Instrumentation requires UV-compatible optics and detectors, and safeguards against UV exposure.

Applications: Researchers use nearUVand approaches in art conservation to identify pigments and binders without sampling; in polymer science to study aging and degradation; in forensics for material characterization; in agricultural and biological assays that rely on UV-excited fluorophores.

Advantages and limitations: Advantages include non-destructive analysis, sensitivity to certain chromophores, and improved material discrimination when combining UV with other spectral regions. Limitations include higher equipment costs, potential sample damage at high UV flux, and the need for standardized calibration.

See also: UV spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, photoluminescence, pigment analysis, multivariate analysis.