Optimization of the FRET de-excitation lifetime based optical dissolved ammonia sensor

• Published in: 2016 IEEE 6th International Conference on Photonics, ICP 2016
• Main Author: Zain M.N.M.; Abdullah M.S.; Rejal S.Z.; Aziz A.S.A.; Yusof Z.M.; Zain Z.M.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2016
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84981719786&doi=10.1109%2fICP.2016.7510013&partnerID=40&md5=1f16762ff15cfb29257b9e8ce6278ec0

Forster or Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a distance-dependent interaction between the electronic excited states of two dye molecules (henceforth referred to as 'Donor' and 'Acceptor') in which the de-excitation of fluorophore's Donor is done by the means of dipole-dipole interaction between the Donor and Acceptor without emission and absorption of photon. The efficiency of the energy transfer of any FRET molecular system is governed by three major parameters: intermolecular distance, spectrum compatibility, and Donor's quantum yield. In this work, the inter-molecular distances of Donor-Acceptor pairs of a lifetime based optical dissolved ammonia sensor were characterized by varying the ratio of both molecules' concentration. The efficiency of the de-excitation then will be calculated by using phase fluorometry method. The optimization of the dyes' concentration has improved the efficiency of the FRET de-excitation at 82%. This work demonstrates that the need of characterization of the inter-molecular distances of Donor-Acceptor pairs in any FRET system in order to achieve the optimum de-excitation efficiency. © 2016 IEEE.