Steve Lowry, PhD

Combining a high precision FT-IR spectrometer with a long pathlength gas cell provides a powerful tool for analyzing trace levels of contaminants in air and other gas mixtures (Figure 1). Two important applications of this are ensuring air quality and the purity of breathing oxygen and compressed air.

Thermal decomposition provides valuable information about the chemical composition of a material. Although thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) measures small weight losses during a heating ramp, it cannot identify the chemicals corresponding to the weight loss.