Bruker Optics – Vacuum ATR Accessory

Best bench top innovation

The Vacuum ATR accessory, featured on our new VERTEX NEO R spectrometer, redefines what is possible in benchtop Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. It is the first accessory of its kind to combine Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) technology with a fully evacuated beam path. The Vacuum ATR accessory gives users the high levels of performance, spectral clarity, and sensitivity provided by vacuum spectrometers, while also allowing for convenience, ease-of-use, and hassle-free operation. With this innovation, Bruker addresses long-standing challenges in infrared spectroscopy while aligning seamlessly with the evolving demands of modern research laboratories.

Traditionally, FTIR measurements are limited by ambient atmospheric interference—particularly from water vapor and carbon dioxide—which can obscure or distort sensitive spectral features. Vacuum FTIR spectrometers evacuate the entire beath path, which eliminates these atmospheric interferences. This results in spectra with excellent signal-to-noise, sensitivity, and precision across both the mid- and far-infrared ranges, even for samples in low-concentration or for those samples that are highly sensitive.

While vacuum FTIR spectrometers offer the best stability and sensitivity for FTIR research, traditional vacuum systems require full evacuation of the sample chamber, which is often impractical for many sample types and lab set ups. The Vacuum ATR accessory solves this key usability barrier in vacuum spectroscopy by allowing the sample to remain at ambient pressure, maintaining a freely accessible sample stage. This allows users to easily handle delicate, volatile, or biological materials without compromising vacuum conditions, streamlining workflows and saving valuable lab time. Importantly, researchers can swap samples without breaking the vacuum, a unique capability that enhances throughput and efficiency, especially in routine or high-volume measurement environments.

The design also promotes adaptability and modularity, answering the growing call for customizable instrumentation in scientific research. Users can easily integrate homemade or specialized sample holders, a feature particularly beneficial in fields such as the Life Sciences, where non-standardized sample formats are common. The accessory’s user-friendly and flexible design supports a wide range of experimental needs, democratizing access to high-end vacuum FT-IR capabilities for diverse research fields including materials science, pharmaceuticals, catalysis, and environmental analysis.

In a landscape where instrumentation must keep pace with increasingly sophisticated research questions, the Vacuum ATR accessory stands out as both a technical breakthrough and a practical laboratory tool. It combines performance enhancements—such as improved signal-to-noise ratio and spectral clarity—with user-centered features that remove traditional barriers to vacuum spectroscopy. The result is a benchtop innovation that significantly broadens the applicability of FT-IR, enabling a new class of experiments that were previously infeasible due to limitations in sensitivity, sample handling, or measurement conditions.

This accessory is more than an incremental improvement; it’s a transformative advancement in spectroscopy. By addressing the dual challenges of atmospheric interference and sample accessibility, it sets a new benchmark for what benchtop FT-IR systems can achieve. Researchers now have a tool that not only keeps up with their needs—but anticipates them.

For its unique combination of analytical performance, usability, and adaptability, the Vacuum ATR accessory deserves to be recognized as the Best Benchtop Innovation in the Labmate Awards for Excellence 2025. It is a clear example of how thoughtful engineering and a deep understanding of scientific workflows can deliver innovation that truly elevates research potential.