Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Infrared spectroscopy is a frequently used analytical method to obtain chemical information of a sample. It provides e.g. information about the functional groups of a molecule, the composition of molecular mixtures or the secondary structure of proteins.
IR spectroscopy enables the identification of polymers, pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals; it can be used, for example, to detect impurities in substances.
Characteristic bands in the measured vibration spectrum can be used to quickly detect chemical constituents in the analyzed material.
Attenuated total reflection (ATR) has become a standard technique in recent decades. It is a fast and simple method, whether solid or liquid, organic or inorganic, and no complex preparation is required for most samples.
In FTIR microscopy, a fine aperture confines the IR beam and spatially resolved IR spectroscopic investigations are possible.
