Fluorescence lifetimes of formaldehyde (H2CO) in the band system at elevated temperatures and pressures

Fluorescence lifetimes of formaldehyde excited by picosecond laser radiation with a wavelength of 355 nm were determined in nitrogen gas in a cell using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The measurements were conducted at temperatures between 295 and 770 K and pressures up to 10 bar (1 MPa). Detection was broadband in most cases. Temperature and pressure were found to have a quenching effect on the fluorescence. At 295 K and pressures between 1 and 5 bar, decay rates between 0.03 and 0.04 ns(-1) were observed. At 770 K, the decay rates increased from 0.11 to 0.17 ns(-1) as the pressure was raised from 1 to 10 bar. The dependence on pressure was not linear at 1 bar. At 10 bar the linearity is unclear. The dependence on temperature appeared to be exponential. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.