Single point near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is used extensively for characterizing raw materials and finished products in a wide variety of industries: polymers, paper, film, pharmaceuticals, paintings and coatings, food and beverages, agricultural products. As advanced industrial materials become more complex, their functionality is often determined by the spatial distribution of their discrete sample constituents. However, conventional single point NIR spectroscopy cannot adequately probe the interrelationship between the spatial distribution of sample components with the physical properties of the sample. to fully characterize these samples, it is necessary to probe simultaneously spatial and chemical heterogeneity and correlate these properties with sample characteristics.

Recently, we have developed a novel NIR imaging spectrometer that can deliver spatially resolved chemical information very rapidly. in contrast to conventional, single point NIR spectrometers, the imaging system uses an infrared focal-plane array (FPA) to collect up to 76,800 complete spectra, one for each pixel on the array, in approximately one minute.