Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) Analysis Laboratory
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is a robust and versatile analysis method that can analyze and identify a wide variety of materials including paints, polymers, coatings, pharmaceuticals, foods and other products. FTIR analysis identifies unique chemical bonds in a molecule and produces distinctive molecular fingerprints that can be used to screen samples for many different components.
FTIR analysis services offered in our spectroscopy lab include:
- Solid and liquid analysis
- Formulation and deformulation analysis
- Unknown material identification
- Inorganic and organic testing
- ATR surface analysis
- Contamination identification
- Bulk material analysis
- Multilayered material identification
We can provide two different modes of FTIR analysis:
Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR)
For ATR infrared analysis, an objective is in physical contact with the sample, hence the IR absorption occurs at the point of contact. IR information is obtained from the surface of the contact and is not representative of the interior of the material.
All Reflecting Objective (ARO)
For FTIR analysis by ARO, there is no physical contact with the sample. The IR radiation penetrates through a flattened sample is then reflected back to the spectrometer. In this case, the spectral information is representative of the interior of the material.
FTIR has several advantages:
- Precise measurements
- Analysis with little or no harm to the sample
- Sample information collection at high speed
The FTIR spectrometer at MVA Scientific Consultants is set up to collect a spectrum from particles as small as 50 micrometers in size. Solid samples are usually prepared by shaving a piece of material off the sample that is thin enough to obtain a good spectrum. The analytical spectrum is then compared to tens of thousands of reference library spectra to identify components to find a “best match” for the unknown material.
To learn more: Micro-FTIR Spectroscopy
Contact us to learn more about how MVA can use FTIR to handle your specific analysis and testing needs.