Michael S. Bradley

We present our annual review of products introduced at Pittcon or during the previous year, broken down by the following categories: atomic spectroscopy, ultraviolet and visible (UV-vis), near-infrared (NIR), infrared (mid-IR), Raman, imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), accessories, and components.

Between the online Pittcon event of 2021 and the time this review was written, a lot has changed. We all anticipated an in-person Pittcon for 2022; unfortunately, that did not happen because of a surge in Covid cases in the southeastern United States where the event was going to be held. As a result, Pittcon 2022 was converted into a virtual conference. But the fact that one of the “introduction points” for new spectroscopy instruments did not happen live did not stop the launch of exciting new spectroscopic instruments in the past year.

However, it does seem that the Covid pandemic may have reduced the number of recent new product introductions. In our 2021 review, we reported on almost 100 products introduced by more than 50 companies. This year, the number of both companies and products was significantly smaller. Table I lists the companies that responded to our request for information about new products introduced over the past 12 months.

Considering the volume of products usually covered in these reviews, it seems clear that we have the pandemic to blame for the lower number of products we see this year. Over the past two years, engineering teams have had to cope with product development in either a socially distanced or remote way. The ability of such product development teams to function during the pandemic is remarkable, and it especially impressive that some teams were able to introduce several new instruments to the market.

A few live analytical chemistry and spectroscopy conferences were held in the latter half of 2021 as we thought the pandemic was winding down. For those who attended, it was gratifying to speak face-to-face with each other. Some of the products mentioned here and some in our 2021 review were available to see in person at those shows. So far this year, one in-person conference has occurred, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2022 conference in San Diego, and some of the new equipment mentioned in this year’s review was shown at that event.

Over the last few years, we have seen more analyzer tools entering the market, looking to solve specific questions. Several new products this year are extending this approach to agricultural and environmental applications. Additionally, we noted in the last few years how software is evolving into a true laboratory partner. By integrating more artificial intelligence (AI) and by targeting specific applications, such as microplastics analysis, software is becoming a more powerful tool, especially when directed at one application even when the core hardware technology may be similar to that of previous generations. Even the visualization of data is being used powerfully to extract trends and subtle changes.

In this year’s review, we have taken a somewhat different approach than in years past. The tables contain a significant amount of information about the products, but the text only highlights the unique products or trends. As a result, our discussion does not cover every product in detail. For detailed information regarding the individual products, refer to the tables throughout this review.

Our discussion is broken into four sections: instrumentation, accessories, components, and software. The difference between an accessory and a component is that an accessory is designed to be used with a completed instrument whereas a component can be used to construct an instrument. The tables associated with this article are grouped (when possible) by spectral range and application.

Although some of the new instruments introduced in the past year are more general in their application, many of the new products are geared to special applications. We have seen this trend toward specific task-oriented tools in recent years, as we have noted previously.

Table II contains information on all the atomic products that were submitted. On the instrument side of the “Atomic Spectroscopy” category, Radom Corporation has introduced a new inductively coupled plasma (ICP)–optical emission spectroscopy (OES) instrument that is argon-free, operating with microwave-sustained atmospheric plasma. This device is so small that it is considered portable. Another laboratory-based ICP instrument is the Solation ICP-mass spectrometry (MS) system from Advion Interchim Scientific. The design appears to be good for complex samples, which could broaden the utility of the instrument and minimize sample preparation. Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. introduced a new X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument.

Agilent Technologies has introduced an environmentally friendly coolant fluid, and Hübner has introduced a new laser source for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

In the “UV-vis” category (Table III), several interesting products have been introduced into the market this past year. Although all of them are full instruments, they can be divided by form factor and application.

PerkinElmer and Thermo Fisher Scientific have both introduced laboratory-based UV-vis instruments. Perkin Elmer’s Lambda 365 and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Evolution products are designed for general spectroscopy applications and provide flexibility because they can use various accessories for maximum problem-solving capability. Other instruments, like the Thermo Fisher Scientific Nanodrop, are designed for laboratories where the sample volumes are very small, and the applications are typically customized to the life sciences.

Technobis Crystallization Systems BV has introduced a system, the Crystal16 version 3, with a single application: to measure changes in crystallization and crystallization behavior.

On the other end of the form factor consideration, Ocean Insight and Watersight have introduced small-form-factor devices. The Ocean Insight SR spectrometer continues in the same way as most of Ocean Insight’s products, with a high speed, compact design.

An interesting new entry in the market from Watersight is a self-contained visible and very near-infrared (NIR) device, called Aquaring, that can continuously monitor water quality by collecting spectral data and sending it to the cloud for analysis.

Moving to the “NIR” spectral region (Table IV), we again see two types of devices, dedicated analyzers, and small sensors that can be applied in a variety of situations.

Nanosens AS has introduced three NIR devices, a feed analyzer, a milk analyzer, and an on-line process monitor for industrial use. Norsk Elektro Optikk AS has introduced an NIR hyperspectral imager designed for drone applications that operates in a very wide spectral range from 400 to 2500 nm.

For the smaller NIR engines, there are a number of interesting devices. Ibsen Photonics introduced the Pebble, a vis-NIR device that operates out to 1100 nm and is designed for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications. InnoSpectra has extended the range of its NIRScan device, based on the TI digital light processor out to 2150 nm. Manti Spectra has two new offerings: the MantiSpectra SpectraPod and the MantiSpectra OEM solution, both based on the MantiSpectra ChipSense technology and meant for investigation and OEM applications. These four devices illustrate a trend in the NIR world, which is that the development of such devices can be incorporated into monitoring systems to take advantage of the growing NIR applications, and the cloud-based data analysis approach to move the spectroscopy directly to the location of the sample.

In the “mid-infrared (mid-IR)” category (Table V), the traditional suppliers have been busy, and there are several interesting new products. There is a dedicated Silica Analyzer from PerkinElmer, a new general-purpose Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer from Shimadzu, and a nanoscale IR system from Bruker.

The Bruker mid-IR instrument addresses the growing market to gain IR information from samples that are well below the optical diffraction limit. It incorporates atomic force microscopy (AFM)-IR modes, along with modes typically found in scanning probe microscopy.

A particularly interesting device from the company NLIR Aps is the S2050-130 kHz. This device is a mid-IR grating spectrometer that works in the 2.0–5.0 μm (5000–2000 cm

) region of the spectrum. It is designed for fast processes and uses the NLIR upconversion technology and a silicon charge-coupled device (CCD) to provide a unique device that can provide data in the mid-IR region.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the RaptIR for traditional FT-IR microscope analyses. One could debate whether this device belongs here or in the “Accessories” category because you would still need to buy an FT-IR spectrometer for this device to function effectively. However, it is designed to be a workhorse microscope that one would expect to find in a well-equipped industrial spectroscopy laboratory. It also incorporates task-specific workflows (such as microplastic analysis).

Over the past few years, the growth in Raman spectroscopy has been noted multiple times. This continued growth accelerated this year, as Table VI shows, with some exciting new entries. For laboratory-based research instruments, there are two entries that can expand applications into new areas. IS-Instruments has introduced a deep UV Raman system with excitation at 228 nm, capitalizing on the increased Raman scatter (and fluorescence avoidance) with short wavelength excitation. WITec Gmbh has a new cryogenic Raman imaging microscope.

Elodiz, Ltd. and Ocean Insight have introduced devices that are more geared to field and process applications. The two introductions by Elodiz use multiple laser lines and fiber optic probes, whereas the Ocean Insight product continues in the small footprint vein and is designed to detect Raman shifts from 150 to 3400 cm

Moving on to the “Imaging” category (Table VII) of instruments and components, we have a broad set of products, including several cameras. Greateyes GmbH, Horiba Scientific, Nireos SRL, and Princeton Infrared Technologies, Inc. have all introduced new cameras for imaging applications. EDAX has introduced a new backscatter diffraction detector. Spectrolight Inc. has a new broadband tunable filter that can cover from the UV through to the NIR.

As a complete imaging system, Monstr Sense Technologies has introduced a laser scanning microscope called the Nessie.

The one new product in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) category (Table VIII) is a smaller-footprint NMR spectrometer from JEOL USA.

In the “Mass Spectrometry” category (Table IX), two new devices introduced by Refeyn, Ltd, capitalize on the mass photometry technique developed at Oxford University. One of the new instruments is designed to provide automation to the mass photometry technique, whereas the other is optimized for adeno-associated virus characterization.

In the “Accessories” category, new products have been introduced to simplify sample analysis. REFLEX Analytical Corp. and Nanosens AS have both introduced new cells and cuvettes (Table X). S.T. Japan-Europe GmbH has introduced an improved MicroVice while Specac now provides a heated puck for the Quest. An interesting new product from Specac is the Arrow, which is a disposable silicon ATR accessory.

 as products that would be part of a complete instrument; with that definition, as Table XI indicates, the category includes a disparate set of items.

Armadillo SIA has introduced two new optical fiber products while Trace Matters Scientific has a new flexible ion guide. Sources are one type of component where there have been a number of new entries, including products from Pyroistech S.L, Micro X-Ray, Inc., and Edinburgh Instruments.

Anyone who uses instruments recognizes that software is the human interface to the devices. Typically, discussions about new products tend to minimize the effort to develop instrument control software—especially for tried-and-true analytical techniques—in comparison to the focus on the hardware. Many of the instruments mentioned above have new software platforms in addition to the hardware. Both Ocean Insight and Optiwave Systems have introduced driver and instrument control software for their products (Table XII). We are also including spectral libraries in the software category. S.T. Japan-Europe GmbH has introduced three new libraries, a microplastics IR library, and a Raman microplastics database. They also have introduced a Raman database for psychoactive and illicit drugs.

Many of the products discussed in this review seem to follow trends that we have seen in analytical instruments in recent years. The products are becoming smaller, easier to use, and, in many cases, specific to a particular application rather than for a general purpose. Likewise, tools that are making data easier to acquire or interpret are a major thrust of instrument companies and those approaches will increase the productivity of users in the laboratories. Although we applaud these trends, we hope that the audiences for these products are cognizant of how each device works, what data it should deliver, and how to interpret the data—rather than relying on a “black box” approach. The real danger with such easy-to-use tools lies in relying on the vendor to supply the analytical result; a critical part of integrating any analytical instrument into a laboratory is validation.

With the pandemic waning (we hope), in the coming year we believe that the pace of product introductions will pick up. We look forward to seeing new devices in person at conferences.

If your organization introduces a new product in the coming months, please tell us right away by submitting the 2023 Spectroscopy New Product form, which can be found at 

https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/spectroscopy-new-product-review

. We will accept submissions as products are introduced and will include the appropriate products in the 2023 review.

 is a consultant in vibrational spectroscopy and spectroscopy education. She is the past president of both the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and serves on the 

’s Editorial Advisory Board and is a Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Madison, Wisconsin. Direct correspondence to: 

Articles

Our annual review of new products for atomic and molecular spectroscopy, including details by category and highlights of overarching trends.

2022 Review of Spectroscopic Instrumentation

Our annual review of products introduced during the past 12 months, along with an assessment of the overarching trends.

We are pleased to present our annual review of new products. As has been the case for many years now, this annual review includes products launched not only at the annual Pittsburgh conference (“Pittcon”), but also throughout the preceding year.

Nevertheless, Pittcon remains an important source of new product announcements. This year’s Pittcon, however, was held online—a first for the event—because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the online format, you could attend technical presentations, keynote talks, short courses, workshops, and networking sessions, as well as see exhibitor demonstrations, attend the employment bureau, and—related to our interests and purposes here—you could visit exhibits and talk to exhibitor representatives. The main difference this year was that we couldn’t unexpectedly run into old friends while traversing the halls or aisles. We also could not participate in a “hands-on” demonstration of equipment.

Presumably because of the online format, there was a decrease in the size of the exposition this year (only 179 exhibitors, compared to 787 last year) and the absence of several large vendors. This year, again presumably because of the online format, no product awards were given out.

There was a significant change in attendance at the conference compared to previous years, but we have to acknowledge that we are comparing the “apples” of a live conference with the “oranges” of an online one. The overall attendance in 2020 was 12,841 registered participants. Although it was clear from the live attendance numbers visible in the online platform for this year’s event that the numbers were comparatively quite small this year, generally around 1000 at any given time, official attendance figures for 2021 were not available by our deadline. Because most features of the conference are available on demand through June 12, the conference organization will not have final numbers until then.

The review that follows is categorized by wavelength region or type of spectroscopy. This arrangement is designed to allow readers to compare instruments from different manufacturers, although this process sometimes compares handhelds and other portable instruments with high-end benchtop research tools. Our included categories fluctuate from year to year, depending on trends in new product launches. The categories appearing in this year’s review are:

Mid-infrared (Mid-IR) and terahertz (THz) spectroscopy

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy

As we have reported in previous reviews, manufacturers have recently been producing instruments that incorporate two or more different, and sometimes disparate, technologies. Given that the number of such instruments has been increasing every year, we considered whether a new approach to this question was warranted. Ultimately, we decided to assign a primary category for each product, but also list potential alternate categories that the product might plausibly be listed under. For an ICP-MS instrument, for example, which could plausibly fit under either the “Atomic Spectroscopy” (for the ICP) or the “Mass Spectrometry” category, we have assigned it to the Atomic Spectroscopy category, but in that table, we show the secondary category in parentheses, in the left-hand column, below the company name, like this:

We also employed a similar label for accessories, indicating the primary technology that the accessory is intended for in parentheses.

As in the past, accessories are tools used in conjunction with an instrument, such as sample preparation or attenuated total reflectance (ATR) devices, whereas components, such as lasers or detectors, are used within an instrument. Yet no matter how we present them, there are always marginal cases, such as where a product is so large and integral to the operation of the analytical system that it is unclear where the concept of an “accessory” ends and an “instrument” begins.

For all of these reasons, even the manufacturer is sometimes unsure about what category a given device belongs to. Sometimes, the distinction depends on the perspective of the observer. An example of this is gas chromatography–infrared spectroscopy (GC–IR). From the point of view of the spectroscopist, the GC is “simply” a very sophisticated sample preparation accessory, although from the point of view of the chromatographer, the spectrometer is “merely” a very complicated detector!

The software category includes programs for instrument control, data collection, and data processing, as well as products for storage and transmission of data. The category also includes collections of data, such as databases (libraries) of spectra, as well as collections of calibration models used in conjunction with the still developing field of chemometric algorithms that analyze the data.

As is our custom, Table I lists the categories that the various companies offer instruments in.

Typically, our vendor surveys answer our question about trends in many different ways. The 2021 surveys, however, show a consistent observation about the importance of speed and efficiency. Although similar to comments given over many years, this theme was more noticeable in 2021. Many laboratories downsized or worked with limited staffing in the last year, requiring those who remained to be more productive. Further, as older subject matter experts (SMEs) retired, they were either not replaced or were replaced with less-experienced workers who had little time to gain the benefit of the SMEs’ experience. In addition, those on-site workers were often present in shorter shifts or limited days, as well as performing a lot of remote work, meaning they had to plan and execute their analyses carefully.

These variables resulted in instrument specifications growing more aggressive, with requirements like more automation, intense sources, higher signal-to-noise (S/N), and more-sensitive detectors, resulting in faster data collection. Also, software (particularly the offline analytical type) became even more prominent in instrument sales. Finally, virtual training (both general webinars and instrument-specific training on operations) became very important. Even vendors who did not specifically mention the “faster, more efficient” theme implied this through their product descriptions.

We do not expect this trend will change, even if more people return to the physical workplace for longer hours. The “need” to work at home experienced during the pandemic has transitioned to the “ability” to work at home (as a viable work option, irrespective of need), through various other sharing platforms. Many instruments can now be operated remotely, with autosamplers enabling unattended throughput. Laboratory staff need to be physically present only long enough to set up a batch and start the process; they can then monitor and tweak the process remotely. Even academic teaching laboratories are reaping the benefits of remote instrumentation, because students can now check the progress of a measurement from the library or their dorm rooms.

Another outgrowth of the loss of SMEs has been the emphasis placed on digital science and, more specifically, machine learning. Broadly, this tool enables a system (instrument plus computer plus software) to derive relationships between data and answers that can be reproduced in the absence of human intervention, enabling the system to make “intelligent” decisions about specific characteristics of a sample, such as its usability in a specific application, or an identification based on large datasets. We feel strongly this will be a key driver in the future workspace as the machine learning algorithms improve and become more broadly applicable (consider how online shopping proposes new things based on your past choices; the same logic can be applied to a production process).

We see fewer application-specific analyzers appearing this year, although some fields, like cannabis and microplastics, are attracting attention. In many cases, existing tools are being combined with new software to address these fields, such as the innovations from multiple vendors implementing microplastics analysis onto Raman, FT-IR, and quantum cascade laser (QCL)–based microscopy systems.

Handhelds and portables continue to appear, but not with the same ubiquity as a few years back when we noted every aisle at Pittcon seemed to have a handheld Raman or NIR tool on display. Many articles have appeared in the literature, and in this journal specifically, about the benefits of the handhelds and portables. There has been less discussion about the performance differential between handheld and laboratory instruments; however, this difference is largely driven by the different purposes and applications of the two types of instruments (“What is this pile of white powder? Is it dangerous?” versus “I need to analyze a tiny defect in a sheet of polymer or discolored flecks in an otherwise homogeneous product”).

Below, we highlight new introductions in each product category. Individual tables provide more detail for the products mentioned. Table I contains the index of companies and the categories where their products appear.

Agilent Technologies featured a helium mode collision cell and half mass correction to control polyatomic and doubly charged ion interferences.

Exum Instruments, Inc. introduced Massbox, the first commercial instrument combining laser ablation and laser ionization under vacuum.

Lightigo exhibited FireFly, an instrument specializing on chemical imaging of solid samples and featuring a motorized objective turret, laser microfocus, and long depth of field. Lightigo’s FireFly could have also been placed in the “Imaging” category.

PerkinElmer, Inc. presented two instruments. The first is the Avio 560, an inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) instrument. The second is the NexION 5000 Multi-Quadrupole ICP-MS, the first ICP-MS instrument in its category to boast four quadrupoles, and engineered to meet and exceed the demanding requirements of ultratrace elemental analysis.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched the Neoma Multicollector ICP-MS, featuring a new detector array that covers the broadest range of isotopic applications with Qtegra Intelligent Scientific Data Solution (ISDS) software.

See Table II for more information about atomic spectroscopy instruments.

Cubert GmbH demonstrated the Ultris X20, a UV–vis-NIR imaging spectrometer and hyperspectral snapshot camera capable of capturing a hyperspectral image (x, y, lambda) at very high resolution within a millisecond. Cubert GmbH’s product could also fit into the “UV-vis” and “NIR” categories.

Greateyes had two products on display: Alex, a low-noise charged-coupled device (CCD) camera series of highly sensitive, cooled cameras with vacuum flange equipped with ultralow noise 18-bit readout electronics for imaging applications in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and X-ray range up to 20 keV; and ELSE, a low noise CCD camera that integrates cutting-edge low-noise electronics and ultra-deep cooling technology. The Greateyes products could also apply to the “X-Ray” category.

Monstr Sense Technologies, LLC showed Bigfoot, with ultrafast optics and radio-frequency electronics to extract weak ultrafast signals from strong excitation background light. Bigfoot could also be included in the “Raman spectroscopy” category.

Nanobase, Inc. introduced the XperRF, a hybrid Raman spectroscopy microscope instrument and a transmission spectrometer for >90% spectrum peak efficiency. This product could also fall into the “UV-vis” and “Raman spectroscopy” categories.

Pembroke Instruments, LLC introduced the SWIR-200, a short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) microscope featuring a flexible design supporting a wide range in the field of view, magnification, and working distance to the sample. This product could fall into the “NIR” category.

Princeton Infrared Technologies, Inc. showed a 2nd-generation 1280 SciCam, an InGaAs SWIR camera that is the only International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-free 1.3 MegaPixel-cooled SWIR camera that exhibits high photo response uniformity and low dark current.

Surface Optics Corporation showed its SOC760 Hyperspectral Imaging System uniquely suited for laboratory and ground-based applications requiring high-resolution spectral data collection for the full visible near infrared (vis-NIR). Their product could also apply to the “UV-vis” and “NIR” categories.

See Table III for further details about Imaging instruments.

The Hiden Analytical SIMS-ToF Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer has the high sensitivity, speed, and data density depth profiling capability of a quadrupole secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) instrument and the surface specificity, mass resolution, and large-molecule detection of a time-of-flight (ToF) SIMS system.

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 240 Mass Spectrometer features a fast-scanning high-field Thermo Scientific Orbitrap mass analyzer, positive–negative mode switching for comprehensive sample coverage, and one-click calibration and method templates for fast instrument setup and ease of use.

Agilent Technologies, Inc., Exum Instruments, Inc., and PerkinElmer, Inc. also have instruments that could apply to this category; they were all placed in the “Atomic spectroscopy” category.

See Table IV for further details about Mass spectrometry instruments.

Ocean Insight’s NanoQuest spectral sensor Fourier-transform IR (FT-IR) spectrometer features a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS)–based FT-IR spectrometer that is smaller and more accessible than traditional laboratory-based instrumentation. The MEMS technology allows for a continuous-wave Michaelson interferometer to be created monolithically on a MEMS chip, which enables detection of all wavelengths simultaneously across the 1350–2500 nm range, using a single-photodetector design. This product could fit into the “NIR” category.

PerkinElmer, Inc. presents three FT-IR instruments. The Spectrum Two+ is a compact, powerful, and portable FT-IR spectrometer for routine compositional and quality analyses, providing fast and accurate results. The Spectrum 3 FT-IR Spectrometer, is a tri-range instrument with full integration. The EGA 4000 is the world’s first fully integrated thermogravimetric analysis-infrared spectrometry (TG-IR) system for evolved gas analysis (EGA). The Spectrum 3 could also apply to the “NIR” category.

See Table V for further details about Mid-IR instruments.

Avantes B.V. introduced the AvaSpec-Mini-NIR Compact NIR spectrometer, which is the size of a deck of cards and is USB-powered, making it easy to integrate into other devices and handheld applications.

Galaxy Scientific Inc. introduced the QuasIR 2000 with a large area diffuse reflectance probe fiber optic FT-NIR spectrometer; this probe is designed to enable more accurate and repeatable NIR measurements of inhomogeneous samples.

Metrohm USA’s DS2500 Liquid Analyzer features smart accessory technology, integrated temperature control to 80 °C, and automatic background correction.

Sensors Unlimited has a high-speed, extended InGaAs photodiode linear array that offers extended wavelength range of 1.1–2.6 μm. This product could also apply to the “Components” category.

Surface Optics Corporation’s 410-Solar-i Portable Vis-NIR Reflectometer features a battery-operated handheld reflectometer for portable solar reflectance and absorbance measurements. This product could also apply to the “UV-vis” category.

Viavi Solutions Inc. presented three NIR instruments. The MicroNIR PAT-L is specifically designed for liquid applications as an immersion NIR spectrometer that features multiple configurations and various mounting options for diverse applications. The MicroNIR PAT-Ux features good manufacturing practice (GMP)–compliant software with an optional open platform communications (OPC) add-in and a rapid acquisition time. The MicroNIR PAT-Wx is rated for hazardous locations and certified as being compliant with ATmospheres EXplosible (ATEX), International Electrotechnical Commission System (IECEx), and National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements.

See Table VI for further details about NIR instruments.

B&W Tek LLC, a Metrohm Group Company showcased three Raman spectrometers. The PTRam is a self-monitoring, self-calibrating high-performance 785-nm Raman spectrometer designed for 24/7 operation. The TacticID Mobile Handheld Raman spectrometer is a handheld 1064-nm Raman spectrometer, featuring a 5-in touch screen. The TacticID-1064 ST is a handheld spectrometer that can safely analyze samples through transparent, semitransparent, and opaque packaging to reduce response time (its 1064 nm excitation produces a fluorescence-free spectrum) and can be integrated with the MisaCal mobile app.

Metrohm USA presented two Raman spectrometers. The Mira P Raman spectrometer makes it possible to build custom analytical methods that capture variations of complex natural product starting materials for biopharmaceutical production. The Misa Raman spectrometer is a portable analyzer system used for rapid, trace-level detection and identification of food additives and contaminants, and features a small footprint and long battery life.

Nanobase, Inc. showed its XperRF hybrid Raman spectrometer, which is a Raman microscope with fluorescence lifetime imaging and TCSPC features. It has a transmission spectrometer for over 90% spectrum peak efficiency. This product could also fall in the “UV-vis” and “Imaging” categories.

Ocean Insight presented the QE Pro-Raman+, which is a modular spectrometer for 785 nm Raman excitation applications. The QE Pro-Raman+ is a high-sensitivity instrument with a spectral range from 150 to 3000 cm

, plus low noise electronics and a TEC-cooled optical bench.

The Renishaw Virsa Raman Analyzer features fiber optic probes equipped with LiveTrack focus-tracking technology, enabling the analysis of microscopic areas of large objects with irregular surfaces, and enabling the measurement of large samples that will not fit under a conventional microscope.

Wasatch Photonics showed the WP 532 EXR, an extended-range Raman spectrometer that offers high signal, fast measurements, and low limits of detection. The design uses the company’s VPH transmission gratings and an f/1.3 input for maximum signal collection. The WP 532 EXR could also apply to the “UV-vis” category.”

See Table VII for further details about Raman instruments.

ACD/Labs introduced the Spectrus JS, which is cross-platform software that works on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Spectrus JS (JavaScript) is the first commercially available browser-based 1D and 2D NMR data processing application. The Spectrus JS could have also formed an “NMR” category.

Eigenvector Research, Inc. has five new updated software packages: Solo version 8.9.1 Stand Alone Chemometrics Software; PLS_Toolbox version 8.9.1 Chemometrics Software for use with Matlab; MIA_Toolbox version 3.0.9 Advanced Hyperspectral Image Analysis for use with PLS_Toolbox and Solo; Solo_Predictor version 4.0.5, which is a standalone prediction engine for use with PLS_Toolbox and Solo models; and Model Exporter version 3.7, which is a standalone prediction engine for use with PLS_Toolbox and Solo models.

Microtrac MRB, part of Verder Scientific, provides Dimensions Software for the Camsizer series. The Dimensions program is a sleek and modern particle-characterization software for the Camsizer imaging instruments.

Operant LLC has Peak Spectroscopy Software for Optical Spectroscopy that reads and converts more than 60 spectroscopy file formats. It includes library search, spectral manipulations, and many more functions.

Thermo Fisher Scientific promoted its SolstiX X-ray diffractometer software that is a seamless integration with Windows authentication, protected folder for data storage, complete audit trail in time-stamped database, and tamper-proof e-signatures in all files.

Wiley introduced five new software products: A GC–MS library for biologically and environmentally important organic compounds; the Wiley Registry of Mass Spectral Data 12th edition; the Wiley Registry 12th Edition of the NIST 2020 Mass Spectral Library; the KnowItAll 2020, which contains spectroscopy software and spectral libraries; and AntiBase, a Natural Compound Identifier.

See Table VIII for further details about software.

Ibsen Photonics A/S showed the new Pebble Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. Pebble spectrometers combine a compact form factor of 20 x 15 x 8 mm with high sensitivity and environmental ruggedness, based on Ibsen’s proven diffraction grating technology. This product could also have been included in the “NIR” category.

McPherson’s 251MX is a compact spectrometer with a VUV detection range (50~200 nm) optimized around 120 nanometers. It has been updated to provide improved efficiency over a wider range.

Ocean Insight has a liquid transmission measurement system (LTMS) in-line transmission spectrometer. LTMS is an industrial-grade, IP67 transmission– absorption platform suitable for manufacturing environments.

See Table IX for further details about UV-vis instruments.

2021 Review of New Spectroscopic Instrumentation

Space-based construction materials must meet a range of requirements: mechanical robustness, lightweight characteristics, and tolerance to heat (due to extreme exposure to solar radiation). There are three optical requirements for heat management: the solar reflectance must be sufficiently high, the thermal emissivity must be sufficiently high, and the surface must be diffuse. These properties ensure that the spacecraft will remain cool, and the thermal control material will perform over a wide range of exposure angles. Here, we examine a ceramic material, Z93, which is in current use on the International Space Station (!SS). Measurements of the optical properties reveal why Z93 is successful in the ISS's implementation, and also point to potential future material improvements.

odern materials are being developed to meet demanding requirements in terrestrial construction, military operations, and spacecraft. An increasingly crucial concern is heat management. This is controlled through the response to incident radiation. As an example, low-emissivity glass (low-E glass) being used in window construction reflects infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) light, preventing their penetration into the structure, keeping it cooler in the summer. In the winter, this effectively reverses as the glass is used to reflect the IR (heat) into the structure, preserving the internal heat. In both cases, the impinging radiation may come from a wide range of geometries (angles).

In military applications, heat-seeking devices use IR radiation to identify and track potential targets. High-tech materials can reduce the IR signature through reflection and absorption. It is not possible to predict the exact angle at which the incoming IR-homing device will approach, meaning the material must respond over a wide range of angles of incidence as well as over an array of frequencies.

Space-based operations stretch this even further. To protect sensitive instrumentation and personnel, the surface must meet three main criteria: high solar reflectance, high thermal emissivity, and the surface must be diffuse. These ensure the vehicle remains cool and the thermal coating will operate over a wide range of exposure geometries. In a high-profile example of the impact of this, Skylab sustained damage to the micrometeoroid shield that removed much of the protection from solar radiation; this damage led to severe overheating of the interior. The orbital repair (the first of its kind) featured the addition of a solar "umbrella" shield, which restored sufficient insulation to permit operations. On the International Space Station (ISS), the lightweight ceramic material Z93 was used as an insulator, being more robust than that ultra-thin metalized mylar, such as used on the Lunar Landing Module.

We present here optical measurements on Z93 revealing the heat management characteristics of the material when exposed to intense solar radiation. 

The measurements were made using an SOC-100 Hemispherical Directional Reflectometer (HDR, Surface Optics Corporation) coupled to a Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS50FT-IR spectrometer (1,2). Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the HDR. The HDR uses a large, elliptical reflection hemisphere with the source built into the HDR at one focal point, and the sample at the other focal point. The elliptical hemisphere ensures the emitted source light is focused onto the sample over the full range of angles all at once (rather than using a directed beam, as in
integrating spheres).

A mirror on a moving arm automatically sweeps through the reflected radiation, sending the selected angle of reflected radiation to the FT-IR spectrometer entrance port. This reflected radiation is shown as a conical section emanating from the sample in Figure 1. The arm sweeps over the full range of polar angles and directs the light to the spectrometer. A blocker mounted in the HDR can remove the specular reflected radiation, allowing independent determination of the specular and diffuse components in the total reflection. A polarizer mounted in the HDR just in front of the entrance aperture of the spectrometer functions to account for any polarization bias in the spectrometer. Also, the sample can be heated in the sampling location, permitting emissivity measurements and the determination of the temperature dependence of the reflectivity.

The automation in the SOC-100 enables the moving arm mirror to sweep through a wide range of angles or be fixed at selected angles to probe the directional properties of the reflectivity. The light reflected from the rotating arm enters the spectrometer emission port, and then passes through the interferometer and onto the deuterated L-alanine triglycine sulfate (DLaTGS) detector.

A sample of Z93 white thermal control coating was studied. Developed for use on spacecraft, Z93 was one of the original coatings tested on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Long Duration Exposure Facility in the Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment in the 1980s (1). The coating is currently used on the surface of the ISS. It is composed of zinc oxide pigment in a potassium silicate binder. The material appears as a white ceramic. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) data reveal a microporous structure, consistent with the need in the application for a diffuse surface; this ensures reflectivity over the wide range of exposure geometries possible in space.

The reflectance of Z93 measured from 250 to 2500 nm is shown in Figure 2. This measurement is made by illuminating the sample at a particular angle and frequency and capturing the reflection over the entire hemisphere using an integrating sphere. This measurement is an example of directional hemispherical reflectance (DHR). DHR is a standard integrating sphere type of measurement, where the excitation beam is directional, while the reflectance is measured over the full hemisphere. The DHR for Z93 is low in the UV range, then quickly rises to over 90% in the visible (starting in the deep blue), and slowly tapers off in the near-infrared range (NIR). This measured reflectivity of Z93 corresponds closely to the spectral profile of extraterrestrial solar irradiance (maximum
at 500 nm).

The solar reflectance was calculated according to ASTM E903 using the spectral solar irradiance defined in ASTM E490. The solar reflectance is the percentage of solar radiation that is reflected by a material and is calculated using the equation below:

where ρ(λ) is the measured spectral reflectance and 

(λ) is the spectral solar irradiance function. Using the measurement in Figure 1, the solar reflectance was determined to be 86.5%. This means that 86.5% of the solar radiation incident on the material is reflected, or 13.5% is absorbed. This is in agreement with NASA’s results in the thermal control surfaces experiment (TCSE) and was found to be sufficiently high for operation in space (3).

The reflectance in the IR range was measured from 2 to 25 μm and is shown in Figure 3. Unlike the DHR above, the source (located at one focus of the elliptical mirror) emission is directed by the large mirror onto the sample from all angles at once, but the rotating arm collected the light reflected from the sample as an automatically selected angle; this mirror directs that reflection into the input aperture of the spectrometer. This measurement is called 

 (HDR) and is mathematically equivalent to the DHR when summed over the full range of angles. The reflectance was measured at 12 different angles ranging from 8.0° to 80.0°. It is important to have measurements across the entire hemisphere to accurately calculate emissivity. The reflectance starts high in the near-infrared spectral range up to approximately 2 to 3 μm (as shown also in Figure 2), and then drops significantly from 3 to 16 μm, and rises a small amount after 16 μm. There is an increase reflectivity with the approach to a grazing angle, which is expected.

For each reflectance spectrum above, the directional emissivity can be calculated as follows:

 is the measured reflectance at a particular angle. With sufficient directional emissivity data spanning the entire hemisphere, the total hemispherical emissivity can be calculated by integrating over the entire hemisphere:

The two calculations above were performed using temperatures ranging from 100 to 400 K, which is roughly the temperature range experienced outside the ISS. Over this range, the total emissivity remains relatively constant (Figure 4), averaging about 0.907. This means that Z93 emits 90.7% of the energy of a blackbody at the same temperature. Again, this is in agreement with NASA’s results in the TCSE and was found to be sufficiently high for operation in space (3).

Finally, the specular and diffuse components of the total reflectance were measured at two different angles using the blocker. These measurements are shown in Figure 5. At an angle of 10°, the diffuse component is the dominant reflectance characteristic and it remains so until about 22 μm. Contrastingly, at 70°, the diffuse component drops below the specular component at about 8 μm. Generally, diffuse materials become increasingly specular in behavior at steeper angles, as seen experimentally and which can be shown with simple geometric optics arguments. Because the reflectance is quite low (emissivity is high), Z93 is an effective thermal control coating. This explains its successful use on the surface of the ISS for 10 years. It is interesting to note, Z93 transitions from diffuse to specularly reflecting at long wavelengths. By 17 μm at 70°, Z93 is about 30% reflective and mostly specular. This long-wavelength behavior could be an area for development in future thermal control coatings.

Materials involved in heat management, such as those used on space-based vehicles, require a complete understanding of reflectivity, emissivity, and direction bias in those properties. HDR provides a full range of measurement capabilities enabling improved design and fabrication of these materials. With the growth in terrestrial interest in similar performance improvements for energy conservation and military hardware protection, this type of measurement has
broad applicability.

Z93 is effective in its role as a result of combined high reflectivity and emissivity. Although the relative impact of different aspects of the optical performance varies with the angle of incidence, the overall performance remains well within the design threshold for use in extended duration space-based applications. Future material improvement may focus on the long wavelength change in performance.

Final report for the TCSE under NASA Contract NAS8-38939. D.R. Wilkes, Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment (Doc, ID 19990021250, NASA, 1999).

is a Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Madison, Wisconsin.

are with Surface Optics Corporation in San Diego, California. Direct correspondence to: 

Measurements of the optical proper ties of a ceramic material, Z93, which is in current use on the International Space Station (ISS), reveal why this material is successful for thermal control in the ISS implementation, and also point to potential future material design improvements.

Optical Measurement of the Reflectance Behavior of Z93, the Thermal Coating on the International Space Station

We present our annual review of products introduced at Pittcon or during the previous year, broken down by the following categories: accessories, atomic spectroscopy, components, imaging, mass spectrometry, mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Raman spectroscopy, software, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and X-ray.

	This review focuses on new instrumentation, components, and accessories launched from May 2019 through April 2020, announced either directly to 

 through form submissions or by those presented as new at the recent Pittsburgh Conference (Pittcon) in Chicago, Illinois, where we spoke directly with vendors.

	This year’s Pittcon was interrupted by a larger societal concern-the sudden spread of the coronavirus. Pittcon was not canceled, but many exhibitors chose not to attend. Even so, there were still a large number of exhibitors, representing a cross section of the industry (from smaller suppliers to large instrument companies). The total attendance, reported as 9011, was, nevertheless, quite respectable, despite the challenges.

	In this review, we are interested only in products that fall under the umbrella of spectroscopy, whether they be instruments, components, accessories, standards, software, or anything else related to spectroscopic measurement.

	One of the points of interest at Pittcon is the awards for instruments  considered the most innovative. This evaluation is, of necessity, subjective, and involves a selection from among all the instruments on display at Pittcon. Starting three years ago, the selection methods and criteria were changed, and the awards are now called the Pittcon Today Awards. A selection committee, consisting of a blue-ribbon panel of experts, evaluates the entries based on ingenuity, creativity, implementation, and outcomes. Instruments are categorized by the size of the company (small, medium, and large) that makes them, based on their sales figures. This allows companies to compete with others in their same class. There are gold, silver, and bronze awards in each category, for a total of nine awards. We are pleased that this year four awards went to spectroscopy instruments. In the small company category, Waveguide won the gold for world’s first small, battery-powered, handheld NMR instrument and Aeris Technologies won bronze for a real-time mid-IR-based ultrasensitive ethylene oxide gas analyzer. In the large-company category, Bruker won gold for its Lumos 2 FT-IR microscope, and Horiba won bronze for the LabRam Soleil instrument that combines Raman, UV-vis, and NIR spectroscopy.

	The review that follows is organized alphabetically by wavelength region or type of spectroscopy-for example, mid-infrared (IR), Raman, X-ray, and so forth-except that we place the two non-instrument categories (accessories and components) at the end. Table I sorts the companies alphabetically, and lists the categories they appear in. We arrange our review to allow readers to compare instruments from different manufacturers, although this process sometimes classifies low-end handheld instruments with high-end research tools. The categories used to classify the products are:

	Our categories fluctuate from year to year, depending on trends in the submissions. The core spectroscopy headings are consistent, but the imaging category, for example, has been transient. This year, we received enough products classified as imaging to warrant that being a category in itself, rather than only including imaging versions of various technologies under the parent instrument type. Fluorescence was a popular category some time ago, but has fallen out of favor for several years. Last year it returned, but that proved to be only temporary; this year, there were again no submissions in that category, despite its analytical popularity and presence at trade shows.

 are tools used with an instrument-like sample preparation or optical devices-whereas 

 are parts used as integral parts within instruments, like lasers or detectors. The software category includes instrument control and data processing, storage, and transmission, as well as spectral databases (libraries) and other collections of specialized information, besides programs that analyze the data.

	One of our goals in writing this instrumentation review, as well as spending time at instrumentation trade shows (such as Pittcon), is to identify larger themes from the aggregation of submissions.

	Some years ago, we had seen environmental solutions trending, especially around microplastics. This year, environmental issues were muted under the public health solutions around opioids, cannabis, and COVID-19. The plenary lecture at Pittcon, and many hallway conversations, were dominated by these subjects, and vendors were touting testing and research tools. The absence of several vendors, especially from Asia and some parts of Europe (and the reticence of attendees to shake hands), put an exclamation point on this.

	Within the instrument submissions themselves, we see many tools and instruments relating to Raman spectroscopy. We discuss this further in the Raman spectroscopy section, but note here that component and accessory suppliers, as well as instrument manufacturers, have identified Raman spectroscopy as a significant market. Overall, we saw in recent years many handheld instruments and new laser sets, and also found that large instruments and software were prevalent
	this year.

	In the expanding world of software, we reported last year on the emerging uses of computers in artificial intelligence (AI) applications and integrating with the internet of things (IoT), as expansion of IoT is starting to come to fruition, albeit not as soon as we originally expected. We note this in our
	review below.

	One continuing trend was the combination of various technologies into a single instrument. Several companies, for example, are now combining Raman spectroscopy with other optical spectroscopies, such as UV-vis or infrared. These combinations are often augmented with special software to enable the instrument control computer to find commonalities or other relationships between the spectra produced by the different technologies. Some details about this are apparent in the Raman spectroscopy section of
	this review.

	Vendors have all identified the trend in many laboratories of downsizing staffing, even with a continued increase in sample loads. This means a single worker must be able to move between multiple instruments without major barriers. Easy sample transfer and shallow learning curves via workflow software are becoming common needs. With instrument vendors, this information is often buried, both in their product development and their marketing literature, under the prevalent and long-standing emphasis on hardware performance (signal-to-noise, resolution, speed, and so forth), but it becomes immediately apparent when you watch vendors demonstrate their instruments. The demonstration is increasingly a software show. This trend is discussed further in the software section of this review.

	This year, we added a new tactic for the trend predictions. We contacted subject-matter experts to discuss future trends in their technologies. We thought that people working in the same area might be seeing the same forces affecting their technology. Below, we share some of the responses we received to this inquiry. Because these comments represent opinions rather than hard facts, to preserve privacy, we do not identify the company or person responding with each comment, but we list the expected trends for the technology. For those companies that responded to this question and have multiple products, their response is listed under the technology category that their instrument containing the response belongs.

		“[There is] a general trend towards higher resolution X-ray and neutron indirect detection cameras.”

		“[There is a] continuous trend of improving the data storage, handling, and processing allowed hyperspectral imaging to take place as it generates very heavy images. One image captured by [trade-name redacted] can require 1 Gb [of data], as it contains a lot of information of a scene.”

		“Shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging is growing in many biological and chemical analysis applications.”

		“Rapid growth of several industrial market segments (including chiral chemicals, asymmetric synthesis, cannabinoids, essential oils, and others) have created a strong demand for analytical techniques capable of fast isomer-selective chemical analysis. The emerging [trade-name redacted] technology addresses this demand, … offer[ing] extraordinary chemical specificity combined with fast analysis and ease of use.”

		“Photonics devices [will] become much more advanced. This requires [technicians] to use optical components with extreme specifications. These specifications need to be measured and confirmed, so this leads to design of more advanced metrology and testing equipment.”

		“Close to 20 years ago, the first portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) devices were released for easy-to-use metal and mining applications for non-scientific users. A decade ago, there was a strong thrust into the portable optical/vibrational spectroscopy market, with Raman, NIR, and FT-IR for safety, security, military, and pharmaceutical raw-material ID analysis. One company [name redacted] extends this portable theme further with the world’s first portable NMR, which addresses the gaps of XRF and optical and vibrational [spectroscopy] in the areas of biologics, vaccines, foods, and, ultimately, in medical diagnostics. The theme or trend is routine chemical screening and non-scientific operators who need to make a fast and precise decision at the point of need.”

		“The pharmaceutical industry is not making large investments at this time, as market consolidation and acquisitions are on the rise in this sector. The demand for field identification of controlled substances and threats is global, with needs specific to geographic regions. Investment in technology is tied to national budgets, and therefore impacted by geopolitical and global economic trends.”

		“With continued improvements in Raman technology, more sophisticated trace-level and low-concentration measurements are becoming possible.”

		“Automation is among the most important long-term trends in the development of scientific instruments. Using optimization and calibration routines, along with pre-set and saved experimental workflows, reduces input demands on the researcher, while allowing them to focus on the data they acquire. Errors are minimized, while operational turnover is maximized, enabling laboratories and user facilities to generate more, and more consistent, data within a given amount of time.”

		cloud-based analytical solutions-instrument management and reporting, mostly-from both customers and

		“Hyperspectral imaging is [a] growing field that is finding applications in processing, medical imaging, environmental applications, and earth sensing. [Trade-name redacted] allows incorporation of domain knowledge necessary for interpretable results required by engineers and scientists.“

		“Chemometrics is falling under a broader field of data science and machine learning. In addition to AI tools, our package is more flexible than most tools, and allows incorporation of domain knowledge necessary for interpretable results required by engineers and scientists.”

		“The increasing development of handheld or smaller sized spectrometers.”

		“NIR in general is moving away from technology experts with years of training and experience, to users of the technology that need to get results. [Company name redacted] is responding by creating intuitive products that provide top performance and capabilities in a user-friendly format.”

		“[Increasing use of the] home office.”

		“General optimism and more government money being spent in science, especially [in the fields of] astrophysics and physics. For example, more of our customers are getting funded via National Science Foundation/Department of Energy, and even NASA.”

		“[Technology] is driving toward ever-lower scatter, while demanding high efficiency.”

		“Today’s trace metals analysis laboratories are constantly being driven to achieve lower levels of detection, which, in turn, put greater demand on clean chemistry techniques and applications.”

		“Increasing automation in the laboratory has led to a demand for easy-to-operate pumping systems that do not require pressure to be set individually.”

	Some current (and even past) practices may become future trends, if and when they become more widespread and generalized. In the meanwhile, sporadic mentions of these practices appear in advertisements, in scientific literature, and even in this review. For example, some instrument manufacturers have created a capability of remotely controlling and collecting data from their own instruments (networking) for a long time. As we said last year, when that capability expands to include more than one type of instrument, then it would be fair to rename that localized networking as belonging to IoT, but not until then. Similarly, can the current capabilities of the application of chemometric analysis to instrument data, to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis, be called 

	As we have noted almost since we first started trying to detect instrument trends, the trend toward hyphenated techniques has been coming along slowly, but surely, over the years. A recent twist on that concept, broadening the idea of applying multiple technologies to an analysis, is the packaging of dissimilar, and indeed sometimes even orthogonal, technologies in a single instrument package, without the two technologies necessarily interacting (as hyphenated methods do). We first noted this trend several years ago, but, even in last year’s review, there was only one example of this combining of technologies, With hindsight, we can see the beginnings of this trend several years ago, when Raman spectroscopy was combined with an atomic force microscope (AFM) in one unit. In this review, there are multiple companies demonstrating combined technologies; interestingly, all of them include Raman spectroscopy as one of the technologies.

	Some other potential miscellaneous trends can be seen if you keep your eye tuned for them, one of them being a change in the nature of applications from being chemistry-focused to becoming more focused toward biochemical and biomedical applications.

	Both Thermo Fisher Scientific and Perkin
	Elmer introduced new inductively coupled plasma (ICP) solutions, striving for increased sensitivity and speed. In presenting these instruments, these companies focus on use in a wide range of markets (including lubrication, pharmaceuticals, and environmental markets). In contrast, PS Analytical focuses on mercury monitoring, with a continuous operations profile.

Our annual review of products introduced at Pittcon or during the previous year.

Michael S. Bradley

Articles

2022 Review of Spectroscopic Instrumentation

2021 Review of New Spectroscopic Instrumentation

Optical Measurement of the Reflectance Behavior of Z93, the Thermal Coating on the International Space Station

2020 Review of New Spectroscopic Instrumentation