Infrared Microspectroscopic Imaging of Biomineralized Tissues using a Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride Focal-Plane Array Detector

Abstract

A 64 X 64 Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (MCT) focal-plane array detector attached to a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microscope was used to spectroscopically image 5-μm sections of human bone tissue in the fingerprint region of the infrared spectrum. Infrared band contours in the 1200–900 cm⁻¹ spectral region, due to phosphorous-containing mineral, change shape as a function of radial distance from centers of bone growth, called osteons. This technique is providing new insights into the biomineralization process.

Keywords::

• FT-IR
• microspectroscopy
• focal-plane array
• MCT
• imaging
• bone