mIRage – Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp
Overcoming the greatest limitations of IR spectroscopy
The mIRage is sub-micron IR spectroscopy and imaging system. O-PTIR is a proprietary technique that breaks the diffraction limit of infrared. It bridges the gap between conventional IR micro-spectroscopy and nanoscale IR spectroscopy.
- Sub-micron IR spectroscopy and imaging
- Non-contact – fast and easy to use
- Transmission quality IR spectra in reflection mode
- No need for thin sections
mIRage overcomes the greatest issues in IR microscopy:
- Sub-micron spatial resolution
- Measure thick samples in reflection mode
- None of the dispersive artifacts and contact limitations of ATR
Prof. Peter Gardner, Dr Alice Spadea and Dr Johanna Denbigh with the mIRage at The University of Manchester.
O-PTIR Spectroscopy
Optical Photothermal Infrared spectroscopy is a fast and easy to use non-contact optical technique, which overcomes the IR diffraction limit.
How does it work?
A tunable, pulsed mid-IR laser is focused on the sample’s surface. This causes photothermal effects, which are then measured using a visible probe laser.
Advantages of O-PTIR
- Collect data quickly and easily.
- Non-contact based technique.
- Spectra are comparable to FTIR, without the dispersive artifacts of ATR.
- Samples do not need to be thin, so there’s little or no sample preparation, speeding up the process.
Watch a recorded webinar
How O-PTIR overcomes the two main problems of IR spectroscopy:
– Poor spatial resolution
– Time-consuming sample preparation
Dr Curtis Marcott of Light Light Solutions and Craig Prater of Photothermal present the benefits of O-PTIR.
Bone sample: Reflection mode IR spectra and hyper-spectral imaging. 25 x 25 µm array, 500-nm spacing. Left: Single wavelength image (1058 cm-1) from Hyperspectral data set
Right: Single-pixel spectrum. 1s collection time
Example Applications
The mIRage provides valuable information for a wide range of applications. If your area of work is not mentioned here, please get in touch.
Polymers
With higher spatial resolution than traditional IR microscopy, O-PTIR is ideal for polymer science and materials development.
- Polymer phase dispersions
- Laminates
- Fibres
- Bioplastics
- Films and layers – more details…
Left: Multilayer packaging film block face sample with spectra collected from manually selected locations, with little to no sample preparation. The spectra show the different composition of each layer.
Click to enlarge
Life Science
O-PTIR opens up new applications for infrared in life science. Unlike traditional IR, it’s suitable for liquid and solid samples, so it can be used to study living systems, and you can measure rough, hard, soft or sticky samples. The visible optical beam can be focussed 20 times smaller than the IR beam, for significantly enhanced spatial resolution.
- Live cells in water
- Blood cells
- Single bacterial cells
- … and more.
Left: Live, hydrated epithelial cheek cells in water. Key macromolecules can be distiguished in the spectraand spatially isolated. A lipid inclusion as small as 0.5-1 µm is resolved easily. The spectra are not corrected for water so are inclusive of water absorbance.
More about sub-micron IR in life science
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Microplastics
O-PTIR can measure sub-micron particles and fibres in far field reflection mode, delivering FTIR transmission-like spectral quality regardless of particle shape and size. When coupled with simultaneous Raman, it provides even more thorough and accurate characterisation of microplastics and particulates.
Left: PS and PMMA dispersed in saline.
Click to enlarge
Contamination / Failure Analysis
Identify small features, defects and contaminants on tech products of ever decreasing size, to satisfy strict control standards. O-PTIR gives you sub-micron spatial resolution in non-contact reflection mode, for product quality and process control.
Left: Failure analysis of technological components, comparing unknown O-PTIR and Raman spectra with library matches for a 6 µm defect.
Click to enlarge
Forensics
Analyse fibres as small as 800 nm to 22 microns, and fibres with surface treatments. Fibres can be analysed directly without modification or sampling accessories, and without the traditional problems encountered with infrared. More details…
Paint analysis with O-PTIR + Raman delivers thorough chemical characterisation of paint cross-sections, providing rich information on their organic and inorganic composition at high spatial resolution (less than 1 µm). Watch a recorded webinar…
Left: Optical image of a fabric sample. The marker points to where ~0.5 µm IR spectra were acquired using mIRage. Strong absorbance at 1732 cm-1 indicates a carbonyl stretch of polyester.
Pharmaceuticals
In this drug/polymer blend sample, a reflection mode single wavelength image (50 x 50 µm) highlights distribution of the drug (dexamethasone) in a PLGA polymer matrix.
Click to enlarge
Micro-electronics Contamination
This examples shows O-PTIR and Raman spectral information collected in reflection mode from a ~6 μm wide contamination particle. The spectra were collected simultaneously from the same spot in reflection mode. The O-PTIR spectrum is fully comparable an FTIR transmission/ATR database. Full experiment details..
Simultaneous Sub-Micron IR and Raman Microscopy – A World First
Submicron infrared can be combined with Raman for simultaneous IR and Raman on the same spot, with the same resolution. This is a world first, opening up a whole new range of research possibilities.
How it Works
Watch this 2 minute video for a quick overview of how simultaneous infrared and Raman microscopy works:
Recorded Webinar
This webinar from Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp provides an introduction to O-PTIR and its benefits in a range of fields including defect and failure analysis, polymers, materials, life science, pharmaceuticals and forensics:
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