Infrared microspectroscopic imaging of biomineralized tissues using a mercury-cadmium-telluride focal plane array detector

A 64 X 64 Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (MCT) focal-plane array detector attached to a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microscope was used to spectroscopically image 5-μm sections of human bone tissue in the fingerprint region of the infrared spectrum. Infrared band contours in the 1200–900 cm−1 spectral region, due to phosphorous-containing mineral, change shape as a function of radial distance from centers of bone growth, called osteons. This technique is providing new insights into the biomineralization process.