FTIR microscopy uses reflecting optics to focus the infrared light onto small samples.

Infrared Spectroscopy and Microscopy

FTIR spectroscopy combined with microscopy allows analysis of small particles down to 10 um. The ability to analyze these subvisual size samples allows materials such as paint media to be analyzed without removing a noticeable amount of material. FTIR is particularly well suited for analysis of materials that have distinctive functional groups including esters, carboxylic acids, amides, proteins, alcohols, and carbohydrates. This means FTIR is a very capable technique for medium identification, polymer analysis, and coatings characterizations.