Optical Parameters Stability Over Time of Porous Phantoms Mimicking Tissues

Optical phantoms are used to validate optical measurement methods. The stability of their optical parameters over time allows them to be used and stored over long-term periods while maintaining their optical parameters. The aim of the presented research was to investigate the stability of fabricated porous phantoms, which can be used as a lung phantom in the optical system. Measurements were performed in multiple series with an interval of 6 months, recreating the same conditions and using the same measuring system consisting of an integrating sphere, a coherent light source with a wavelength of 635 nm, and a detector. Scattering and absorption parameters were determined on the basis of the measured reflectance and transmittance. The tested samples were made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Sylgard® 184, Dow Corning, USA) and 2 ml of glycerol. The measurement system consisted of an integrating sphere 4P-GPS-053-SL (Labsphere Inc., North Sutton, NH, USA) with a Spektralon® coating. This type of coating characterized by high diffuse reflectance (over the 250–2500 nm spectral range) with a reflectance of more than 99% for a wavelength range between 400 and 1500 nm. A laser diode module with a wavelength of 635 nm (red) was used as a light source and it operated with an optical power of 3 mW, while Luxmeter L-100 with a dedicated measuring head (Sonopan, Białystok, Poland) was used as a detector.