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A tutorial on optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) microscopy
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This tutorial reviews optical photothermal infrared microscopy, a technique that achieves up to 30 times better spatial resolution than conventional infrared imaging. Researchers describe how this method enables chemical identification of materials at the sub-micrometer scale, with applications ranging from biomedical research to microplastics detection. The technology is particularly valuable for environmental scientists who need to identify and characterize extremely small plastic particles in complex samples.
This tutorial reviews the rapidly growing field of optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy and chemical imaging. O-PTIR is an infrared super-resolution measurement technique where a shorter wavelength visible probe is used to measure and map infrared (IR) absorption with spatial resolution up to 30× better than conventional techniques such as Fourier transform infrared and direct IR laser imaging systems. This article reviews key limitations of conventional IR instruments, the O-PTIR technology breakthroughs, and their origins that have overcome the prior limitations. This article also discusses recent developments in expanding multi-modal O-PTIR approaches that enable complementary Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy imaging, including wide-field O-PTIR imaging with fluorescence-based detection of IR absorption. Various practical subjects are covered, including sample preparation techniques, optimal measurement configurations, use of IR tags/labels and techniques for data analysis, and visualization. Key O-PTIR applications are reviewed in many areas, including biological and biomedical sciences, environmental and microplastics research, (bio)pharmaceuticals, materials science, cultural heritage, forensics, photonics, and failure analysis.
More Papers Like This
Submicron simultaneous IR and Raman microscopy (IR+Raman): breakthrough developments in Optical Photothermal IR (O-PTIR) combined with Raman provide new capabilities
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A new infrared microscopy technique called Optical Photothermal IR (O-PTIR) was introduced that achieves about 20-fold better spatial resolution than conventional infrared microscopes and can be combined with Raman spectroscopy simultaneously. The technique has direct applications for identifying microplastic particles at the submicron scale.
Optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy
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This review explains a new imaging technique that can chemically analyze incredibly tiny samples, even in water, without the usual interference problems. This matters because it can identify microplastics and their chemical makeup in tissues and cells with far greater precision than older methods, helping scientists better understand how these particles affect our bodies.
Photothermal infrared imaging: identification and visualization of micro- and nanoplastics in environmental matrices
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Researchers demonstrated that photothermal infrared heterodyne imaging can identify and visualize micro- and nanoplastic particles in complex environmental samples at sub-micrometer resolution. The technique overcomes the resolution limits of conventional infrared spectroscopy and can detect individual plastic particles far smaller than previously possible.
Chemical characterization of microplastics from biosolids: a comparison of FTIR and O-PTIR microspectroscopy
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Researchers compared conventional FTIR microspectroscopy with the emerging Optical Photothermal Infrared (O-PTIR) technique for chemical characterization and polymer-type identification of microplastics extracted from biosolids, finding that O-PTIR's submicron resolution and artifact-free spectra offer advantages over traditional methods.
Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy – a new reference method for microplastic identification
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Optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy was proposed and tested as a new reference method for analyzing microplastics, offering higher spatial resolution than conventional FTIR and being less susceptible to fluorescence interference than Raman spectroscopy. The technique was validated against known standards and shown to reliably identify polymer types in complex samples. The method could help resolve ongoing debates about which analytical approach is best suited for routine microplastic characterization.
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