Materials Science
by Alan J. Rein and John Seelenbinder
Handheld and Portable FTIR Spectrometers for the Analysis of Materials: Taking the Lab to the Sample
I
ndustrial and academic scientists working in the development and application of engineered materials are increasingly in need of mea- surement technologies that can be used closer to the source of the sample or the object requiring analysis. These measurements are often made in more demanding environments, and typically not in traditional analytical or QA/QC labs. A number of analytical technologies are available to meet this growing need, powered by the general trend in analytical instrumentation toward smaller size, more power, improved reliability, and greater ease of use.
Optical spectroscopy provides an excellent example of this new genre of technology, with portable FTIR, Raman, and NIR spectrometers lead- ing the way in innovation. Over the past two decades, FTIR spectroscopy in particular has expanded into these more demanding out-of-lab ap- plications in such diverse endeavors as chemical reaction monitoring, homeland defense, and hazardous chemical analysis. Additionally, porta- ble and handheld FTIR spectrometers are currently used in QA/QC of food ingredients,1
biodiesel analysis,2 and mineral analysis.4 art and historical object conservation,3 This article focuses on some recent applications
of handheld and portable FTIR spectrometers for the measurement of engineered materials.5
The need for mobile measurement in
materials analysis The materials industry encompasses a range of product segments including polymers, composites, optical components, coatings, semiconductors, and metals. In spite of the diversity and breadth of applications, all have some common requirements that must be met. The raw materials from which engineered materials are synthesized must be analyzed for quality; the rela- tionship between composition, structure, and performance of the material must be defined; production variables that affect performance must be characterized; the quality of the finished material must be confirmed; the effect of use on the material must be measured; and recycling and reclama- tion efforts must be supported.
Portable and handheld FTIR analyzers support a number of these needs, resulting from the advantage of moving analysis closer to the source of the sample or the object of interest:
• Rapid, on-the-spot testing of raw materials for verifying identity and acceptability at loading docks, tanker cars, and trucks
• Ability to quickly screen materials to identify samples that need to be sent to a lab for additional analysis and minimize the number of these samples
• Nondestructively analyze large, valuable, or nonmovable objects for which excising samples is not possible
Figure 1 – The diversity of advanced materials and their application necessitates that handheld and portable FTIR spectrometers have sam- pling capabilities that can meet the varied analysis requirements. The Agilent 4100 ExoScan FTIR system for material analysis employs perma- nently aligned, interchangeable sampling technology, including spheri- cal diamond and germanium ATR, specular, grazing angle, and diffuse reflectance interfaces. A docking station enables the spectrometer to be used in a benchtop configuration as well as handheld.
AMERICAN LABORATORY • 16 • JUNE/JULY 2013
• Identify the most important areas on an object for analysis, gather more data in more critical locations, and minimize analysis of less important regions
• Scan large areas or surfaces to map distribution of specific components
• Measure the effect of aging, weathering, and other stresses that can affect the viability of an engineered material; determine how use affects engineered material performance and lifetime
• Obtain “real-time” answers that allow actionable decisions to be made on-the-spot.
Considerations in designing effective portable and
handheld FTIR analyzers To take a spectrometer out of the lab and closer to the sample or the object to be analyzed requires that the system be designed to function effectively in a more demanding environment. Out-of-lab FTIR analyzers must:
• Provide performance similar to a lab FTIR equivalent
• Have the robustness required by the ambient conditions
• Have an interferometer with stable performance in all physical orientations
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