Abstract

FTIR spectroscopic imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for characterisation of polymeric, pharmaceutical and biomedical systems. This talk will outline the research we are developing in this area (www.imperial.ac.uk/vsci) with focus on ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection)-FTIR spectroscopic imaging and its emerging applications. Chemical visualisation with enhanced spatial resolution in micro ATR imaging mode broadens the range of samples (cross-sections of blood vessels or hair, surface of skin, single cells, pharmaceutical tablets, etc.) amenable to study with FTIR imaging. Recent developments in macro ATR imaging with the use of inverted prism crystals and also in spectroscopic imaging in transmission, show good potential with applications to depth profiling of materials, studies of dynamic processes in biomedical systems, protein crystallization and bioprocessing, imaging of flows, chemical reactions and live cells in microfludics.