IRFTIR

IRFTIR refers to infrared Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a technique that uses a broadband infrared source and a Michelson interferometer to collect an interferogram that is transformed by a computer into an infrared spectrum. The method provides high spectral resolution and rapid data acquisition, enabling detailed analysis of molecular vibrations and functional groups in solids, liquids, and gases.

In practice, IRFTIR measurements can be performed in various geometries, including transmission, reflectance, and attenuated total reflectance (ATR), allowing analysis of complex samples with minimal preparation. The technique is well suited to identifying functional groups and monitoring chemical changes, while offering flexibility for different sample types and states.

Historically, FTIR techniques were developed in the 1950s and 1960s with the advent of fast detectors and computational Fourier transform. The term IRFTIR has appeared in literature as a way to emphasize the infrared region analyzed by Fourier-transform methods, though in most contexts the abbreviation FTIR is used alone and IR-FTIR imaging is common for spatially resolved spectroscopy.

Applications span polymer science, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, art conservation, and material science. Researchers use IRFTIR to identify functional groups (such as C-H, O-H, C=O, N-H), monitor chemical reactions, assess purity, and map chemical composition across a sample when combined with imaging modalities.

Instrumentation typically comprises a broadband IR source, a Michelson interferometer, a beamsplitter, a sample holder, and an infrared detector; data processing involves apodization, zero-filling, and Fourier transformation. See also FTIR, ATR-FTIR, IR spectroscopy, infrared imaging.