Fiber optical sensor based on time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence for detection of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

A fiber optical sensor based on time-resolved, laser-induced fluorescence is presented for PAHs in water. Over a distance of 50 m, the time decays of different 3- to 6-ring PAHs were analyzed, and for 13 PAHs the detection limits are given. For deconvolution of multi- component mixtures, chemometrical methods were applied to complete time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra.