Thermal lens spectrometric detection in flow injection analysis and separation techniques

Recent applications of thermal lens spectrometry in liquid chromatography (HPLC, ion chromatography), capillary electrophoresis, and flow injection analysis are reviewed. Possible effects of performing TLS measurements in flows are discussed initially for different TLS configurations. The emphasis is given to the analysis of real samples, and the performances of various detection schemes in combination with chromatographic techniques and FIA are discussed particularly in terms of sensitivity, sample throughput, and eventual interferences from complex matrices. Coaxial TLS detection with continuous wave excitation is most suitable for detection in HPLC, ion chromatography, and FIA using long-path length cells, when large volume samples are available. On the other hand, transverse or crossed beam TLS was found most suitable for detection in CE where it provides low absolute LODs, which are lowered even further by thermal lens microscopy on microchips, where the capability of detecting a single molecule in the detection volume was demonstrated.