NanoIR Spectroscopy & Imaging: Recent Developments and Applications
Explore AFM-IR Technology & Applications in Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy
By combining infrared spectroscopy with atomic force microscopy-based (AFM-IR), it is possible to perform chemical analysis and compositional mapping with a spatial resolution down to 10 nanometers, which is significantly below standard optical diffraction limits. During the 2-hour event, our speakers explore:
- The origins of the AFM-IR technique;
- Its recent advances; and
- The wide range of applications currently possible with AFM-IR spectroscopy—especially recent research into life sciences and environmental chemistry.
Bruker application scientist Dr. Cassandra Phillips hosts the workshop and live demos from our labs in Santa Barbara and provides an overview of Bruker's latest nanoIR product updates.
Contact Us
Bruker is dedicated to providing high-performance nanoscale infrared spectroscopy solutions with unmatched applicability across industries and fields of study.
To learn more about this event or any of our nanoIR solutions, please contact us.
Featured Presentations & Technical Demonstrations
Xiaoji Xu, Ph.D., Lehigh University
Here, Xiaoji Xu, Ph.D. (Lehigh University) introduces the novel PFIR method of AFM-IR developed at Lehigh University. This method of label-free chemical nanoscopy is based on the mechanical detection of photothermal response by AFM operated in PeakForce Tapping mode and ultimately can achieve a higher spatial resolution (sub-10 nm) and provides more rich chemical information than many of the existing tools we use for chemical imaging—or imaging in general—while also providing greater flexibility in applicability to samples in both air and liquid.
In addition to providing a review of the strengths and benefits of PFIR as they relate to foundational AFM-IR and PeakForce Tapping principles and capabilities, the presentation explores and provides detailed, real-world examples of its applicability to a broad range of sample types and experimental settings.
Dmitry Kurouski, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
In this presentation, Dmitry Kurouski, Ph.D. (Texas A&M University) showcases his team's research and findings using TERS and AFM-IR to investigate viruses, viral particles, and alpha-synuclein oligomers. Topics of this discussion range from an exploration of how IR/nanoIR spectroscopy reveals a variety of infrared spectra in biological samples that are otherwise inaccessible by traditional raman microscopy methods, to a detailed presentation of the team's findings via a combination of AFM-IR and TERS about changes observed in the secondary structural organization and surface structure information of populations of oligomers relative to their impact on the development of Parkinson's disease.
In presenting these detailed application and research examples, the speaker seeks to demonstrate that neither AFM-IR nor TERS is "better" than the other for the study of biological samples; rather, these two technologies possess different capabilities that demonstrate strong complementarity in terms of both the chemical information available and the achievable probing depth.
Cassandra Phillips, Ph.D., Application Scientist, Bruker
The presenter will conduct a profile analysis of a PMMA wedge sample in both resonance enhanced and surface sensitivity modes, then demonstrate the analytical process for data collected in surface sensitivity mode in real-time.
Comparison of the data outputs of various operational modes demonstrates that using the same probe and sample, users can switch from looking at bulk measurements (where the signal increases linearly with the thickness) to measurements with a surface sensitivity on the order of 15 nm just by changing the parameters as is necessary to switch into surface sensitivity mode.
As a result, surface sensitivity mode enables measurement of the top layer of a sample with significantly improved accuracy over other operational modes, as it collects data only from the surface and not from the absorbing material beneath it. This is especially useful for and is highly sensitive to looking at very small variations in a sample that may have non-absorbing regions or some extra particle on its surface.
This demonstration explores the key considerations for quantifying the infrared signal of any sample in this way.
Cassandra Phillips, Ph.D., Application Scientist, Bruker
This presentation introduces the unique capabilities of a new Bruker platform coming out soon for AFM-IR imaging.
Looking at a sample of PMMA beads in epoxy resin, the presenter demonstrates the new platform's capability to achieve higher acuity and operate at higher scan speeds than other nanoIR systems. Its integration with both Bruker's most advanced AFM controller and its legacy Tapping mode imaging capabilities are explored.
Additionally,, the presenter showcases the user's ability to switch wavenumber and reconfigure laser power mid-scan (to look at both the epoxy band and the carbonyl band of the sample), as well as the platform's unique capacity to switch between sample-scanning and tip-scanning configurations, thereby enabling investigation of the chemical composition and mechanical properties of the same sample using the same probe.
