A Portable, Low-Cost Spectrophotometer for Absorbance and Selected-Wavelength Fluorescence Measurements.
- 1Department of Chemistry Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee 32307 Florida USA famu.edu.
- 2Food Science Program College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee 32307 Florida USA famu.edu.
- 3School of the Environment Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee 32307 Florida USA famu.edu.
Abstract
We present a portable, low-cost, modular spectrophotometric platform designed for wavelength-selective optical measurements using interchangeable visible LEDs, an AS7343 multichannel spectral sensor, and Arduino-based data acquisition. The system was developed to provide a compact alternative for optical absorbance and fluorescence measurements while maintaining performance comparable to conventional laboratory instrumentation. The device was evaluated using aqueous solutions of copper (II) sulfate (CuSO₄) and potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), and results were benchmarked against a standard UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The system demonstrated concentration-dependent absorbance responses consistent with the Beer-Lambert law, with strong calibration linearity (R ² = 0.99 for CuSO₄ and R ² = 0.97 for KMnO₄). In addition, the platform was adapted for fluorescence measurements of Rhodamine B via a simple reconfiguration to a 90° excitation-emission geometry. The fluorescence response showed linear behavior over the 0-4-μM range, yielding an R ² value of 0.97. The results indicate that the proposed system provides reliable optical measurements for both absorbance and fluorescence modalities, offering a flexible and cost-effective alternative for analytical spectrophotometry applications in resource-limited laboratory settings.
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BibTeX
@article{pudasaini2026portable,
title = {{A Portable, Low-Cost Spectrophotometer for Absorbance and Selected-Wavelength Fluorescence Measurements.}},
author = {Sanam Pudasaini and Prakash Dangal and Rajesh Singh Rathore and Beni B Dangi and Vijay Singh Chhetri},
journal = {Journal of analytical methods in chemistry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1155/jamc/9371485},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959564},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Portable, Low-Cost Spectrophotometer for Absorbance and Selected-Wavelength Fluorescence Measurements.
AU - Sanam Pudasaini
AU - Prakash Dangal
AU - Rajesh Singh Rathore
AU - Beni B Dangi
AU - Vijay Singh Chhetri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Journal of analytical methods in chemistry
DO - 10.1155/jamc/9371485
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959564
AB - We present a portable, low-cost, modular spectrophotometric platform designed for wavelength-selective optical measurements using interchangeable visible LEDs, an AS7343 multichannel spectral sensor, and Arduino-based data acquisition. The system was developed to provide a compact alternative for optical absorbance and fluorescence measurements while maintaining performance comparable to conventional laboratory instrumentation. The device was evaluated using aqueous solutions of copper (II) sulfate (CuSO₄) and potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), and results were benchmarked against a standard UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The system demonstrated concentration-dependent absorbance responses consistent with the Beer-Lambert law, with strong calibration linearity (R ² = 0.99 for CuSO₄ and R ² = 0.97 for KMnO₄). In addition, the platform was adapted for fluorescence measurements of Rhodamine B via a simple reconfiguration to a 90° excitation-emission geometry. The fluorescence response showed linear behavior over the 0-4-μM range, yielding an R ² value of 0.97. The results indicate that the proposed system provides reliable optical measurements for both absorbance and fluorescence modalities, offering a flexible and cost-effective alternative for analytical spectrophotometry applications in resource-limited laboratory settings.
SN - 2090-8865
SN - 2090-8873
ER -