C A R E

A N D

H A N D L I N G

G U I D E L I N E S

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Spectralon® Care and Handling Guidelines
To maintain the unique optical and reflectance properties of Spectralon reflectancematerial, the following cleaning and handling procedures must be followed:

1. General Care
Spectralon is an optical standard and should be handled in much the same way as otheroptical standards. Although the material is very durable, care should be taken to prevent
contaminants such as finger oils from contacting the material’s surface. Always wear
clean gloves when handling Spectralon.

2. Cleaning Instructions
If the material is lightly soiled, it may be air brushed with a jet of clean dry air ornitrogen. DO NOT use Freon. For heavier soil, the material can be cleaned by sanding
under running water1 with a 220-240 grit waterproof emery cloth until the surface
is totally hydrophobic (water beads and runs off immediately). Blow dry with clean
air or nitrogen or allow the material to air dry.
If the material requires high resistance to deep UV radiation, the piece should be
prepared as above, then either of the following two treatments performed.
1. Flush the Spectralon piece with >18 mΩ distilled, deionized water for 24hours.
2. Vacuum bake the Spectralon piece at 75° C for a 12 hour period at a vacuumof 1 Torr or less, then purge the vacuum oven with clean dry air or nitrogen.

1 Low reflectance Spectralon (< 10% reflectance) should be dry sanded.

Refer to the reverse side of this instruction sheet for information on coolant
requirements for Spectralon laser-grade material.

231Shaker Street • PO Box 70 • North Sutton, NH 03260
Tel: 603-927-4266 • Fax: 603-927-4694 • Email: labsphere@labsphere.com

C O O L A N T R E Q U I R E M E N T S F O R S P E C T R A L O N L A S E R - G R A D E M AT E R I A L
Spectralon laser cavities and reflectors are sensitive to contaminants in the cooling water that runs through thecavities. Contaminants may include plasticizers from tubing, metal ions from the water supply, degraded ion
exchange resin, or epoxy components. These impurities tend to collect in the porous structure of the material andcause photolytic degradation. This photolytic degradation leads to a reduction in efficiency and output from thecavity. When the cavity is disassembled it will show some basic symptoms of degradation. These may include:a) yellowing of the surface of the reflector.
b) red or other colored spots or streaks on the reflectors, generally along the seams.
c) black spots, pits or streaks on the reflector.
To prevent coolant-related degradation, we recommend the following standards for your cooling system:
1. Tubing should be stainless steel2, polypropylene or Tygon (Tygon should be rinsed in hot waterto remove plasticizers3).
2. Double distilled or deionized water would be used in all cooling systems.
3. Reflectors should be kept away from all non-polar substances.
These include machine oil, finger grease, etc.
4. Flow rate of the coolant system should be high enough to maintain an operating temperature
as low as possible, preferably below 40° C.
5. The coolant system should include particle filters and a deionizing column.
(Labsphere recommends using a Mace Model 932 filter.) Note that most deionizing columns havea maximum operating temperature of approximately 40°C. Use of the columns above this temperaturecause them to decompose and introduce contaminants that may cause photolytic degradation.

2 High temperature water systems without proper deionization may cause degradation of the stainless steel.
Traces or iron and chromium from this reaction may cause discoloration of the cavity.
3 Plasticizers (generally in the form of dibutyl or diethyl phthalate) will be leached from Tygon tubing at
most temperatures in a flow system. Increasing the temperature increases the rate of the leaching process. These
plasticizers readily absorb ultraviolet light and are a likely cause of yellowing in degraded cavities using Tygon
in the coolant stream.

For further information on the care and handling of Spectralon Reflectance Material, please contact
the Labsphere Technical Sales Department.

231 Shaker Street • PO Box 70 • North Sutton, NH 03260
Tel: 603-927-4266 • Fax: 603-927-4694 • Email: labsphere@labsphere.com
As part of our continuous program of product improvement, Labsphere reserves the right to change specifications without notice. Spectralon is a registered trademark of Labsphere, Inc.