Letter from the Editor
Whether used for traditional applications such as identifying counterfeit pharmaceuticals or in some of the more glamorous "CSI-type" forensic applications such as ink analysis, FT-IR technology continues to occupy a large and important space in the field of spectroscopy.
Whether used for traditional applications such as identifying counterfeit pharmaceuticals or in some of the more glamorous "CSI-type" forensic applications such as ink analysis, FT-IR technology continues to occupy a large and important space in the field of spectroscopy. And the fact that many are of the opinion that FT-IR may be nearing maturity can only bode well for its future, as the history of other mature technologies such as gas chromatography attests — being an industry standard for decades to come is good for business, to say the least.
David Walsh
Here in this supplement, Spectroscopy has assembled a collection of some of the newest and most cutting-edge applications of FT-IR spectroscopy in the field today, from thought leaders across the industry. In addition to the applications mentioned above, readers will find research on FT-IR used in the semiconductor industry, FT-IR for polymer research, and more.
In an uncertain marketplace, reliable and established techniques and instrumentation will always thrive, and FT-IR certainly fits this definition. And with application in massive markets such as the pharmaceutical industry and emerging, cutting-edge markets such as forensics, the future is even brighter. Readers can look for more on FT-IR in the September edition of Spectroscopy's e-newsletter, "The Wavelength," as that month's issue is dedicated to this technique. And as always, look for more FT-IR research in the pages of Spectroscopy in the coming months.
Enjoy the issue.
David Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
Scientists Unveil Better Mixing Rule for Absorption Spectroscopy of Aerosols and Colloids
June 16th 2025Researchers have introduced a simple yet powerful new rule based on Rayleigh scattering theory that accurately links the absorption behavior of composite media, like aerosols or colloids, to the properties of their nanoparticle constituents.
Short Tutorial: Complex-Valued Chemometrics for Composition Analysis
June 16th 2025In this tutorial, Thomas G. Mayerhöfer and Jürgen Popp introduce complex-valued chemometrics as a more physically grounded alternative to traditional intensity-based spectroscopy measurement methods. By incorporating both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index of a sample, this approach preserves phase information and improves linearity with sample analyte concentration. The result is more robust and interpretable multivariate models, especially in systems affected by nonlinear effects or strong solvent and analyte interactions.
