Samples for analysis by FTIR are usually selected and documented under stereo microscopy. Depending on the mode and method of analysis a very small amount of sample material may be sufficient, e.g. a particle of 20µm is plenty - as long as it can be handled with tweezers or a needle under stereo microscopy it is big enough. For FTIR imaging using the germanium ATR crystal a sample may be embedded in resin and polished to reveal a cross-section. Maps of max 500 µm x 500 µm may be collected with a maximum resolution of 5 µm.
Fields of application
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Cultural heritage
art, decorative arts, film, manuscript, painting, papyrus, photo, sculpture, textile, archaeological object
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Natural heritage
animal product, mineral
Materials
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inorganic
modern material, pigment, plastic, soil
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organic
animal parts, binding media, glues, wood, paper, textiles, varnishes
TOOLS
Infrared spectroscopy bench top (Perkin Elmer Frontier) with coupled microscope (Spotlight 200) offering a wide range of applications, such as Germanium imaging crystal, ATR Golden Gate diamond crystal, ATR drop down germanium crystal, diamond compression cell, KBr pellet press, hot stage,