Characterization of Standard Reference Material 2940, Mn-ion-doped glass, spectral correction standard for fluorescence

Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2940 is a cuvette-shaped, Mn-ion-doped glass, recommended for use for relative spectral correction of emission and day-to-day performance validation of steady-state fluorescence spectrometers. Properties of this standard that influence its effective use or contribute to the uncertainty in its certified emission spectrum were explored here. These properties include its photostability, absorbance, dissolution rate in water, anisotropy, temperature coefficient of fluorescence intensity, and fluorescence lifetimes. Long and short lifetime components of the fluorescence displayed different emission spectra, making the certified spectrum useful with fluorescence instruments employing continuous excitation only. The expanded uncertainties in the certified spectrum are about 5% around the peak maximum at 620 nm, using an excitation wavelength of 412 nm. The SRM also exhibits a strong resistance to photodegradation, with no measurable decrease in fluorescence intensity even after 17 h of irradiation with the visible light from a Xe lamp.