Thermo Fisher Scientific’s New Nicolet iN10 FT-IR Microscope System Simplifies Infrared Microscopy for Investigative and Routine Analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the launch of its new Thermo Scientific Nicolet™ iN™10 FT-IR microscope, powered by new OMNIC™ Picta™ software. This revolutionary system simplifies infrared microscopy, enabling chemists in analytical and investigative chemistry laboratories to take full advantage of the power of this technique and have complete confidence in their results.

“From solid drug delivery systems to flat-screen displays, the structures of materials are becoming ever more sophisticated on the micro scale,” said Dr. Ian Jardine, vice president of global research and development for Thermo Fisher Scientific. “This drives the need for instruments capable of characterizing these structures. Infrared microscopy combines the identification power of FT-IR with the magnification of microscopy to enable such characterization. The technique requires a high degree of skill, as it adds several steps over and above those required for a simple FT-IR measurement. The new Thermo Scientific Nicolet iN10 FT-IR microscope, in combination with our OMNIC Picta software, closes the gap between the simplicity of FT-IR spectroscopy and the complexity of infrared microscopy.”

The unique integrated architecture of the Nicolet FT-IR microscope removes the need for an external spectrometer and provides exceptional optical efficiency, allowing data to be obtained with speed and simplicity. FT-IR microscopes typically require the use of liquid nitrogen-cooled detectors. The Nicolet iN10 FT-IR microscope is equipped with a room-temperature detector, eliminating the time, hazards and expense associated with liquid nitrogen cooling. In combination with the highly efficient Slide-on ATR sampling device, this detector makes the Nicolet iN10 FT-IR microscope as quick and easy to use as an infrared bench.

“Simply finding and measuring a sample has traditionally required skill and time,” Jardine added. “The Nicolet iN10 FT-IR microscope is highly automated and incorporates machine vision technology to facilitate sample loading, locating and measurement. While simple to use, OMNIC Picta software provides powerful analysis functionality that extracts comprehensive chemical and physical information from the data. This allows the user to go from ‘sample to answer’ quickly, simply and with confidence.”

Infrared microscopy has lagged behind FT-IR in its ability to be validated. This has caused issues with acceptance of the technique in regulated industries. The Thermo Scientific Nicolet iN10 can be validated in reflection, transmission and ATR sampling modes, thereby simplifying the instrument qualification process for users in such regulated environments.