The molecules in biological tissue strongly absorb specific light frequencies within the mid-infrared (IR) region of the electro-magnetic spectrum, 3-25um wavelength. These absorptions can be used as "molecular fingerprints" to generate spectral maps of tissue and provide information about the absence or existence of disease, potentially in real-time and in vivo. Unfortunately, to utilise this technique requires bright mid-IR broadband sources and fibres that are not currently available. Researchers at the University of Nottingham are currently developing new glasses for optical fibres to produce and transit the required light spectra. Glass families best suited for these applications contain heavy metal ions such as tellurites and chalcogenides. However, the compositions are complex, having a range of different coordination environments and broad bond length distributions. To determine the structure of these glasses, it is necessary to combine the complementary information offered by X-ray and neutron diffraction and develop new methods of analysing the data. Case studies to demonstrate the benefits of combining these techniques are presented.
