Home > Press > Nano-FTIR - A new era in modern analytical chemistry
Abstract:
Researchers from the nanoscience research center NanoGUNE (San Sebastian, Spain), the university of Munich (LMU, Germany) and Neaspec GmbH (Martinsried, Germany) present a new instrumental development that solves a prime question of materials science and nanotechnology: how to chemically identify materials at the nanometer scale (F. Huth et al., Nano Letters, 2012, DOI: 10.1021/nl301159v).
An ultimate goal in modern chemistry and materials science is the non-invasive chemical mapping of materials with nanometer scale resolution. A variety of high-resolution imaging techniques exist (e.g. electron microscopy or scanning probe microscopy), however, their chemical sensitivity cannot meet the demands of modern chemical nano-analytics. Optical spectroscopy, on the other hand, offers high chemical sensitivity but its resolution is limited by diffraction to about half the wavelength, thus preventing nanoscale resolved chemical mapping.
Nanoscale chemical identification and mapping of materials now becomes possible with nano-FTIR, an optical technique that combines scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. By illuminating the metalized tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a broadband infrared laser, and analyzing the backscattered light with a specially designed Fourier Transform spectrometer, the researchers could demonstrate local infrared spectroscopy with a spatial resolution of less than 20 nm. "Nano-FTIR thus allows for fast and reliable chemical identification of virtually any infrared-active material on the nanometer scale", says Florian Huth, who performed the experiments.
An important aspect of enormous practical relevance is that the nano-FTIR spectra match extremely well with conventional FTIR spectra, while the spatial resolution is increased by more than a factor of 300 compared to conventional infrared spectroscopy. "The high sensitivity to chemical composition combined with ultra-high resolution makes nano-FTIR a unique tool for research, development and quality control in polymer chemistry, biomedicine and pharmaceutical industry" concludes Rainer Hillenbrand, leader of the Nanooptics group at nanoGUNE.
For example, nano-FTIR can be applied for the chemical identification of nanoscale sample contaminations. Fig. 1 shows AFM images of a PMMA film on a Si surface. While the AFM phase contrast indicates the presence of a 100 nm size contamination, the determination of its chemical identity remains elusive from these images. Using nano-FTIR to record a local infrared spectrum in the center of the particle and comparing it with standard FTIR database spectra, the contamination can be identified as a PDMS particle.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Rainer Hillenbrand
Enrique Zarate
CIC nanoGUNE
Contact details:
(+34) 943574024
Copyright © Elhuyar Fundazioa
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related News Press |
News and information
Observing biological nanotransporters: Chemistry April 19th, 2018
Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials: Rice University scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials April 18th, 2018
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene April 18th, 2018
One string to rule them all April 17th, 2018
Imaging
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene April 18th, 2018
Chemistry
Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials: Rice University scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials April 18th, 2018
Discoveries
Observing biological nanotransporters: Chemistry April 19th, 2018
Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials: Rice University scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials April 18th, 2018
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene April 18th, 2018
One string to rule them all April 17th, 2018
Announcements
Observing biological nanotransporters: Chemistry April 19th, 2018
Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials: Rice University scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials April 18th, 2018
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene April 18th, 2018
Tools
Observing biological nanotransporters: Chemistry April 19th, 2018
Individual impurity atoms detectable in graphene April 18th, 2018
Research partnerships
Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials: Rice University scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials April 18th, 2018
Psst! A whispering gallery for light boosts solar cells April 14th, 2018
Ultra-powerful batteries made safer, more efficient: Team aims to curb formation of harmful crystal-like masses in lithium metal batteries April 12th, 2018
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
![]() |
![]() |
||
Premium Products | ||
![]() |
||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
![]() |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
![]() |