Application of laser-induced incandescence to the detection of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers

Laser-induced incandescence applied to a heterogeneous, multielement reacting flow is characterized by temporally resolved emission spectra, time-resolved emission at selected detection wavelengths, and fluence dependence. Two-pulse laser measurements are used to further probe the effects of laser-induced changes on the optical signal. Laser fluences above 0.6 J/cm(2) at 1064 nm initiate laser-induced vaporization, yielding a lower incandescence intensity, as found through fluence-dependence measurements. Spectrally derived temperatures show that values of excitation laser fluence greater than this value lead to superheated plasmas with temperatures well above the vaporization point of carbon. The temporal evolution of the emission signal at these fluences is consistent with plasma dissipation processes, not incandescence from solidlike structures. Two-pulse laser experiments reveal that other material changes are produced at fluences below the apparent vaporization threshold, leading to nanostructures with different optical and thermal properties. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.