Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has demonstrated an ability to distinguish crystalline cellulose from its surrounding amorphous polymers. Conventional SFG systems reveal information about the packing, distance, and orientation of cellulose crystals in macroscopic scales. However, macroscopic characterization techniques provide volume averaged information which can mask key structural details. To tackle this problem, our group developed a state of the art SFG-microscopy system, which gives us the ability to study smaller regions (<10 microns). I will discuss why these small regions are important and how SFG-microscopy can be used to enhance the study of plant mutation and plant development.
