Application of matching liquid on the refractive index measurement of biotissue: A theoretical and experimental study

The application of matching liquid on the measurement of the refractive index (RI) of biotissue using total internal reflection (TIR) method is investigated in detail. A theoretical model describing samples with different absorbing and scattering ability is given based on Fresnel formula. The theoretical calculation is verified by experimental results of three simulation samples (transparent plexiglass, white plexiglass and ZB3 glass) and cedar wood oil as the matching liquid. Reflectance curves of porcine tissue samples were recorded and systematically studied using two kinds of matching liquid (cedar wood oil and adipose oil) at the incident of TE and TM wave, respectively. Method for proper selection of matching liquid under different conditions is discussed.