MINIATURIZED <100 25) FIBER OPTIC CHEMICAL SENSORS FOR THE INSITU MEASUREMENT OF C02 IN PLANTS

THE AIM OF THIS RESEARCH IS THE CONSTRUCTION OF MINIATURE (< 100 U M) FIBER OPTIC CHEMICAL SENSORS (FOCS) FOR THE IN- SITU, NON-DESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS OF GASES AND LIQUIDS IN LIV- ING PLANTS IN THEIR MICRO-ENVIRONMENT. THIS WILL BE ACCOM- PLISHED USING REMOTE FIBER FLUORIMERY, A NEW TECHNOLOGY THATINTEGRATES FIBER OPTICS, LASERS, CHEMISTRY, OPTICS, AND SPECTROSCOPY. THE KEY TO THIS APPROACH IS THE FOCS,A FIBER OPTICWITH A CHEMICALLY REACTIVE TIP AT ITS DISTAL END. PROPER SELECTION OF THE FOCS CHEMISTRY PROVIDES A SENSITIVE, SPE- CIES-SPECIFIC SENSOR. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS DIRECTED AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FOCS SPECIFIC TO CARBON DIOXIDE. EMPHASIS WILL BE ON MINIATURIZING THESE SENSORS(< 25 U M) SO TAT THEY ULTIMATELY CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE TISSUES OF LIVING PLANTS. PHASE I RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON < 25 UM CO2 FOCS. KEY TO THIS EFFECT WILL BE THE USE OF CO-IMMOBILIZATION ON AMPLIFIED FIBER OPTIC. THIS WILL BE USED TO ESTABLISH THE POTENTIAL OF THE FOCS, AS AN ANALYTICAL TOOL TO AID IN SOLV-ING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PLANT PHYSIOLOGY. DURING PHASE II <25 U M FOCS FOR 02 AND H20 WILL BE RESEARCHED IN ORDER TO GENERATE A SET OF SENSORS SUITABLE FOR IN-SITU MEASUREMENTS DURING PHOTOSYNTHESIS.