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A key feature of the Golden Gate™ Single Reflection ATR System is the outstanding contact achievable between solid samples and the diamond crystal.
For many sample types (particularly powders and fibers), as the load is applied to the sample and optical contact between the diamond and the sample increases, the intensity of the absorbance bands also increase. In other words, increasing the load increases the sensitivity. The Golden Gate™ gives the highest load capability of any commercial diamond ATR (over 180 lbs) and the diagram below illustrates how that impacts sensitivity for a variety of sample types.
For softer samples, such as polymers, a similar effect is seen. However, once the sample has fully contacted the ATR surface, the absorbance stops increasing with increasing pressure.
In order to achieve the best measurement repeatability and reproducibility for these samples, the instrument should ideally apply a load above the “knee” of the curve where the absorbance becomes much less sensitive to load. The diagram below illustrates some measurements for typical samples.
Note how the harder sample types need a higher load to reach this ideal situation - and very often the Golden Gate™ is the only product that can do it.
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