Luminescent probe to investigate material absolute absorption

► A new method is suggested to measure optical absorption by means of Luminescence. ► The method is useful when a direct measurement of absorption is not possible for practical reasons. ► The method has been confirmed experimentally by using known materials and equipment. ► The method can be used with solids, liquids and gases, and also in remote regime. ► The method is fast and simple, and possesses the advantages of measuring luminescence. A new method is suggested for the quantitative investigation of absorption spectra by using a luminescent probe. It is particularly useful, when the absorption bands are difficult to be measured directly due to practical reasons. The probe should possess excitation or emission band overlapping an absorption band of the material under investigation. Equations relating the absorption of the investigated material with the luminescence of the selected probe are obtained for several cases. Experimental results on Er(NO3)3 by using 3-amino-N-methylphtalimide as luminescent probe confirmed the effectiveness of the method.