Self-Referencing Method for Relative Color Intensity Analysis Using Mobile-Phone

Abstract

Mobile-phones have been widely explored on colorimetric evaluations. However, their use with different built-in image systems and acquisition configuration, in an environment with non-controlled illumination, limits the establishment of an accurate color analysis. To overcome this restriction, the determination of the absolute color of an object can be overlooked and a relative color value determined. In this work, we establish a new approach for spectroscopic evaluation based on cell-phone imaging, with no previous calibration, determining relative color values. The standalone relative color intensity method is evaluated under the use of four distinct mobile-phones and different illumination conditions. The capability to distinguish different color shades exploring the proposed self-referenced relative color intensity technique is appraised. Moreover, the potential use of the method is demonstrated by evaluating the chemical-adsorption process of Cysteamine molecules on gold nanoparticle surfaces. The proposed self-referenced technique can improve and expand the use of mobile-phones in spectroscopic applications.