Imaging

As part of our coverage of the SciX 2026 Conference, Nancy Pleshko and Petra Baylin of Temple University sat down with Spectroscopy to talk about their recent study, explaining how Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging of ultra-high weight molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) implants permits oxidation evaluation throughout the sample yielding insight into failure.

FT-IR spectroscopy, long treated as a mature bench technique for confirming a carbonyl stretch or fingerprinting a polymer, has quietly become one of chemistry’s most versatile discovery engines: it now infers molecular structure straight from a spectrum without a reference library, resolves chemistry tens of nanometers wide, and screens a fingerstick of blood for disease in minutes. The last five years of published research show FT-IR moving from a confirmatory tool into a predictive, autonomous, and field-ready analytical platform.

The bulky bench-top NIR spectrometer is quietly being dismantled and rebuilt as a wafer-scale photonic chip, a self-calibrating algorithm, and a sensor small enough to ride in a shirt pocket. What once demanded a grating, a moving mirror, and a climate-controlled lab now fits inside a handheld module, a bioreactor probe, or a drone payload, and it increasingly figures out what it is looking at on its own.

Reliability, dynamic measurements, artificial intelligence, and real-world applications are reshaping Raman spectroscopy – while Molecular Photonics points toward new translational frontiers.

Jurgen Popp, Thomas Mayerhofer, and colleagues at Leibniz IPHT and Friedrich Schiller University Jena introduce the Personalized Optical Digital Twin (PODT), a Photonics21 contribution to Europe's Virtual Human Twin ecosystem that connects molecular photonics—Raman blood analysis, coherent Raman tissue imaging, and multimodal endomicroscopy—with longitudinal physiology and clinical data. Drawing on the published multicenter INTELLIGENCE trials, the authors argue that technical feasibility and clinical utility must be evaluated separately as the field moves toward Europe's FP10 research agenda.

Cellular autofluorescence often masks target signals in time-resolved fluorescence imaging, and metal-based phosphors that could solve this raise toxicity and cost concerns. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials offer a metal-free alternative with long emission lifetimes, and early studies show promise despite remaining challenges with quenching, solubility, and spectral purity.

Webinar Date/Time: Tue, Aug 25, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

A recent study showcased an auto-focusing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) imaging system that uses a motor-driven focusing mirror to track surface height changes in real time, cutting signal variability on irregular surfaces and improving spectral stability more than eightfold compared to conventional static systems.

A team at Hebei University has developed a fluorescent probe that visualizes heavy metal stress in plant cells by detecting changes in intracellular viscosity, offering researchers a new real-time tool for assessing crop stress resistance.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have demonstrated that widely used spectroscopic methods for detecting adulteration in edible bird's nest products are based on a false assumption — that genuine product has a uniform chemical signature.

At the Pittcon Conference and Expo in Saan Antonio, Texas, on Monday, March 9, 2026 (8:30–11:00 AM, Room 304C), the session “Spectroscopy and Sustainability: A Perfect Match” explored how modern spectroscopic technologies are helping laboratories and industries operate more efficiently while reducing environmental impact. Chaired by John Wasylyk and sponsored by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, the session brought together 6 presentations covering applications from pharmaceutical process monitoring and biomedical diagnostics to chemical manufacturing, defense, and remote sensing. Throughout the morning, a consistent theme emerged: spectroscopy’s speed, nondestructive nature, and rich chemical information make it inherently aligned with the goals of sustainability.

In this overview, we explore how spectroscopy is advancing the agriculture industry.

A 2026 study published in the journal Remote Sensing tested Germany’s EnMAP hyperspectral satellite to see if it could identify and map acid mine drainage (AMD) and associated mineral residues from a legacy sulfide mine in Sardinia, Italy.

Webinar Date/Time: Wed, Dec 10, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Top articles published this week include a two-part interview with Sergei Kazarian and Bernadette Byrne of Imperial College London, an inside look at wearables technology, and a tribute to Phil Williams, a pioneer of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy.

In this interview segment with Rohith Reddy, he discusses how mid-infrared spectroscopic imaging (MIRSI) can be used to help detect numerous disease types.

Webinar Date/Time: Tue, Sep 2, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Researchers from Cranfield University and partners from industry demonstrated the feasibility of using advanced, non-destructive imaging techniques to analyze and standardize organo-mineral fertilizers.

Researchers from Hebei University and Hebei University of Engineering have developed a hyperspectral imaging method combined with data fusion and machine learning to accurately and non-destructively assess walnut quality and classify storage periods.

A new study demonstrates that paper bagging significantly enhances Fuji apple quality and appearance. Hyperspectral imaging combined with machine learning offers a powerful, non-destructive method for evaluating fruit grown under different cultivation conditions.

In this study, the feasibility of the rapid discrimination of three different geographical origins of purple sweet potato with a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system was examined.

Hyperspectral imaging was recently used to characterize chicken breast affected by myopathies, which can affect their texture and quality.

A recent study combines hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology with chemometrics to deliver improved quality control of black garlic.