Thermal lens investigation of the temperature dependence of the refractive index of organo–aqueous solutions Original Research Article

The thermal lens technique has been used to experimentally determine the temperature of maximum refractive index (TMRi) of low molarity aqueous methanol solutions. The well-known decrease in the measured TMRi is observed with increasing concentration of methanol. At the TMRi, the temperature dependence of refractive index (dn/dT) is zero, resulting in the absence of a thermal lens signal. In this work, the observed changes in the TMRi are related to the changes in the expansion coefficient of the water and to a lesser extent, to changes in the polarisability coefficient of the water. It is also seen that the enhancement in the thermal lens parameter upon the addition of methanol to water is related primarily to the change in expansion coefficient of the aqueous solution.