Molecular and Structural Analysis

Molecular and structural analysis of materials is the study of a material’s chemical composition and molecular structure at the microscopic level. It measures the identity, concentration, and interactions of molecules within a sample, providing insights into its chemical and physical properties.

Techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence achieve this by detecting molecular vibrations, interactions or electronic and optical properties. This analysis is essential across various fields, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, life sciences, and polymers, where understanding molecular composition drives innovation, quality control, and research.

What are the key applications of molecular and structural analysis?

Molecular analysis is crucial across many fields, providing insights into composition, structure, and interactions. Key applications include:

Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences – Identifying molecular composition, bio-drug interactions, counterfeits, contaminants detection and stability assessment are critical for drug development.
Materials Science & Polymers – Analyzing chemical structures, phase transitions, and mechanical properties of polymers, composites, and coatings, for example, in the study of microplastics.
Geology & Mineralogy – Identifying minerals and studying crystallographic properties.
Chemical Engineering & Energy Research – Optimizing catalysts, fuel cells, and battery materials (such as carbon) for energy efficiency and sustainability.
Optoelectronics & Photonics – Investigating luminescent materials, quantum dots, and plasmonic interactions.
Semiconductors & Nanotechnology – Characterizing defects, strain, and doping in semiconductor devices.
Food Industry – Ensuring food safety, authenticity, and quality by analyzing composition, contaminants, and additives.

These applications highlight molecular analysis as a powerful tool for research, quality control, and innovation. HORIBA’s advanced molecular analysis solutions deliver precise data for research, QC/QA, and process optimization across industries.

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What are the material properties studied with molecular and structural analysis?

Molecular spectrometers study a variety of material properties by analyzing the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter. These properties include:

Chemical Composition

Determination of the elemental and molecular makeup of a material by identifying molecular species, functional groups, and elemental composition. This is essential for material identification, purity assessment, and detecting contaminants in applications such as pharmaceuticals, environmental science, and polymers.

Molecular Structure and Crystallinity

Examination of how atoms are arranged within a material, including bonding, crystallinity, layering, and conformational arrangements. Crystallinity affects mechanical strength, thermal stability, and optical properties, making it a key factor in semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials.

Optical and Electronic Properties

Investigation of how materials interact with light and electricity, including fluorescence, luminescence, bandgap energy, and charge carrier dynamics. This is critical in the development of optoelectronic devices, display technologies, and advanced photonic materials.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Analysis of how materials respond to stress, strain, temperature variations, and phase transitions. Essential for evaluating material durability, stability, and performance under different environmental conditions, particularly in aerospace, energy storage, and structural applications.

Defects and Impurities

Detection of irregularities, such as structural defects, dopants, and contamination that can influence a material's performance. Identifying and controlling defects is crucial in semiconductor manufacturing, nanotechnology, and quality control across multiple industries.

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What are HORIBA solutions for molecular and structural analysis?

HORIBA provides a wide range of analyzers:

Raman Imaging and Spectrometers

Raman Spectroscopy provides molecular fingerprinting by analyzing vibrational, and other low-frequency modes in a sample. It provides chemical and structural information, and molecular interactions based on inelastic scattering of monochromatic light. This technique is widely used in material science, pharmaceuticals and forensics for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Raman spectroscopy is non-destructive and can be used for real-time monitoring and impurity detection for a wide range of applications. HORIBA has more than 50 years of innovation in Raman spectroscopy.

LabRAM Soleil

AFM-Raman Solutions

AFM-Raman Spectroscopy combines Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with Raman Spectroscopy for high-resolution chemical and structural analysis at the nanoscale. It enhances Raman sensitivity through Tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS), allowing molecular identification with spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit. This technique is used in material science, nanotechnology, and biosciences to study surface properties, chemical compositions, and molecular interactions with exceptional precision and minimal sample damage.

SignatureSPM

Cathodoluminescence Solutions

Cathodoluminescence (CL) provides insights into the optical, electronic, and structural properties of materials by analyzing light emitted from a sample under electron beam excitation. It reveals defects, bandgap variations, and composition at high spatial resolution, making it valuable in geology, semiconductors, and nanomaterials research. CL helps characterize impurities, strain, and carrier dynamics, offering crucial information for material development, quality control, and advanced imaging in optoelectronics and photonics.

CLUE Series

Fluorescence Spectrometers

Fluorescence spectroscopy provides information on molecular composition, environment, and interactions by analyzing light emitted from a substance after excitation by a specific wavelength. It is widely used in biology, chemistry, and materials science for detecting biomolecules, tracking cellular processes, and studying material properties. Fluorescence enables high-sensitivity, non-invasive imaging and real-time detection, aiding medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and environmental monitoring with applications in microscopy.

Fluorolog-QM

SPRi Solutions

Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) provides real-time, label-free analysis of biomolecular interactions by detecting changes in the refractive index near a sensor surface. It enables high-throughput screening of binding kinetics, affinity, and specificity in drug discovery, biosensing, and material science. SPRi offers spatially resolved detection of multiple interactions simultaneously, making it a powerful tool for studying proteins, nucleic acids, and cellular interactions with high sensitivity and precision.