Fourier transform infrared microscopy: some advances in techniques for characterisation and structure–property elucidations of industrial material†

FTIR-microscopy has become one of the foremost vibrational spectroscopy techniques for problem-solving and analysing and mapping the chemical structure and physical characteristics associated with industrial materials and their fabricated products. Many recent advances have utilised the attributes of reflection techniques, such as specular reflection spectroscopy approaches, while emerging capabilities becoming available to the industrial spectroscopist include both spectral imaging and use of synchrotron radiation as a source. This paper seeks to illustrate each of these recent advances and developments through applications of FTIR-microscopy to industrial problem-solving case studies.