title: Recent progress of near-infrared (NIR) imaging--development of novel instruments and their applicability for practical situations--.
abstract: The purpose of this review article is to outline the recent progress in near-infrared (NIR) imaging technology with particular emphasis on new instrumentation. Superior features of NIR imaging such as suitability for nondestructive and in-situ analysis, transmission ability, availability of optical fibers, high-speed monitoring and stability are very attractive not only for laboratory-based studies but also for diverse practical applications. In this review, introduction to chemical imaging is described, and then, a comparison among NIR, infrared (IR) and Raman imaging are made. Furthermore, the features of new NIR imaging instruments developed by our research group in collaboration with Yokogawa Electric Corporation and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. are discussed. Finally, some examples of applications of NIR imaging are introduced. Particularly, the performance and usefulness of the newly-developed imaging devices are demonstrated through their applications to pharmaceutical tablets and polymers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University.
authors.forename: Daitaro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinzawa
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Genkawa
authors.forename: Sergei G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kazarian
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki