Equipment of the month: Agilent LDIR 8700 system (chemical direct laser imaging)

During the month of February, the installation and commissioning of an Agilent LDIR 8700 system (chemical direct laser imaging) was completed in a second LASPEA laboratory that will be located in the Martina Casiano building.

This novel instrument allows obtaining high-resolution chemical images of the different components on a surface (tablets, laminates, fabrics, polymers, fibers, etc.) thanks to the combination of a quantum cascade laser and a cooled high-sensitivity MCT detector. electrothermally.

The equipment can work in reflectance, absorption/reflection mode when using reflective sample supports, or by ATR (attenuated total reflectance) and is suitable for both routine analysis and research in fields as diverse as pharmaceutical, biomedical, science of materials or polymer analysis.

However, one of the most promising applications of this instrument is the rapid identification and analysis of microplastics present in environmental, industrial, municipal or consumer product samples. The results obtained using this new analysis technique can provide valuable information about the origin of the plastic particles, the chemicals adsorbed and the possible toxicity found in our environment.