From the Editor
Introduction to this month's issue by David Walsh.
As regular readers of Spectroscopy will know, the feature article in this year's August Buyers' Guide provided an in-depth analysis of the current state of the materials analysis market, and the conclusion (unfortunately) was that no, the spectroscopy market is not immune to the economic downturn that the U.S. economy is currently experiencing ("The Spectroscopy Market Hits a Bump in the Road," Lawrence S. Schmid).
David Walsh
However, amid the generally muted tone of the report were some bright spots and a definitively positive outlook for the future of the industry. And one thing that appears certain is that lasers and laser-based techniques will play an integral role in the eventual recovery of the spectroscopy market, with IR, NIR, and others trending upward. As always, Spectroscopy aims to lead the way in bringing readers the latest research on such cutting-edge techniques and methods, and this month is no exception, as evidenced by the feature, "Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Analysis of Aerosol Particles: The Path Toward Quantitative Analysis" by David W. Hahn. Here, further applications of LIBS are explored, with a novel application in the area of aerosol particle analysis. LIBS is associated to a large extent with areas such as homeland security research, itself a rapidly growing market segment, as seen in the June issue of Spectroscopy ("Current Status of Standoff LIBS Security Applications at the U.S. ARL," by DeLucia and colleagues), and this latest addition to the scientific literature only reaffirms the importance of this technique in the materials analysis community.
Look for more research on LIBS and other laser-based techniques in future issues of Spectroscopy, as upcoming issues will feature further installments of our "Lasers and Optics Interface" column, as well as additional laser-related content (see our October issue for LIBS analysis of complex samples such as paint, petroleum, and motor oil).
If there is a trend emerging in the field of materials analysis, you can bet our columnists and regular authors will be covering it, and LIBS research is just one example.
We hope you enjoy the issue.
David Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
Researchers Develop Adaptive Gap-Tunable SERS Device
April 24th 2024In a new study, researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and Pohang University of Science and Technology presented a new surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) device, improving gap plasmon resonance.
