In our daily use of everyday objects, we ordinarily characterize materials by their color. The appearance of different objects relies on the distinct reflection and absorption features of the particular material. In the electromagnetic wave representation light is the summation of a broad band of waves with specific frequencies related to particular colors, with only a very small range being located in the visible region. The ultraviolet and the infrared region confine this visible part of the spectrum. Since a heated body emits energy in the infrared region, this part of the spectrum is also called heat (or thermal) radiation. Due to the specific molecular structure of many materials, the infrared radiation exhibits strong interaction with those materials. Similar to the color in the visible region, many materials can by characterized by their “color” in the infrared region, which comprises information that is not accessible by visible radiation.
The research gathered under the term ‘infrared spectroscopy’ is related to measurement methods, which exploit the interaction between infrared (IR) radiation and the sample under investigation. The IR-spectroscopic measurement technique is well established in a laboratory environment. However, the application of IR-spectroscopy for inline-monitoring in an industrial environment still requires a profound technical understanding – something which has been established at RECENDT through applied research projects conducted with industrial partners. For inline monitoring of industrial (chemical) processes, RECENDT represents an experienced partner for companies of sizes ranging from SMEs to multinationals. However, in addition to the applied research conducted in the infrared spectroscopy group at RECENDT, we have also established scientific research activities in order to continuously provide novel techniques for our applied research projects.