Polarized Raman spectrum of single crystal uridylyl (3′–5′) adenosine: Local Raman tensors of some functional groups

Fast and quantitative 2D and 3D orientation mapping using Raman microscopy

Non-destructive orientation mapping is an important characterization tool in materials science and geoscience for understanding and/or improving material properties based on their grain structure. Confocal Raman microscopy is a powerful non-destructive technique for chemical mapping of organic and inorganic materials. Here we demonstrate orientation mapping by means of Polarized Raman Microscopy (PRM). While the concept that PRM is sensitive to orientation changes is known, to our knowledge, an actual quantitative orientation mapping has never been presented before. Using a concept of ambiguity-free orientation determination analysis, we present fast and quantitative single-acquisition Raman-based orientation mapping by simultaneous registration of multiple Raman scattering spectra obtained at different polarizations. We demonstrate applications of this approach for two- and three-dimensional orientation mapping of a multigrain semiconductor, a pharmaceutical tablet formulation and a polycrystalline sapphire sample. This technique can potentially move traditional X-ray and electron diffraction type experiments into conventional optical laboratories.

Although polarized Raman microscopy is sensitive to orientation changes, quantitative information has been missing. Here, the authors use simultaneous registration of multiple Raman scattering spectra obtained at different polarizations and show quantitative orientation mapping

Raman Under Water - Nonlinear and Nearfield Approaches for Electrochemical Surface Science

Electrochemistry is re-gaining attention among scientists because the complex interplay between electronic and chemical interfacial processes lies at the bottom of a broad range of important research disciplines like alternative energy conversion or green catalysis and synthesis. While rapid progress has been made in recent years regarding novel technological applications, the community increasingly recognizes that the understanding of the molecular processes that govern macroscopic device properties is still rather limited - which hinders a systematic and more complete exploration of novel material and functionality space. Here, we discuss advanced Raman spectroscopies as valuable analysis tools for electrochemists. The chemical nature of a material and its interaction with the environment is contained in the label-free vibrational fingerprint over a broad energy range so that organic species, solid-state materials, and hybrids thereof can be investigated alike. For surface studies, the inherently small Raman scattering cross sections can be overcome with advanced nonlinear or nearfield-based approaches that provide signal enhancements between three and seven orders of magnitude, sufficient to detect few scatterers in nano-confined spaces or adsorbate (sub)monolayers. Our article highlights how advanced Raman techniques with extreme chemical, spatial and temporal resolution constitute valuable alternative surface analysis tools and provide otherwise inaccessible information about complex interfacial (electro)chemical processes.

Raman tensors and their application in structural studies of biological systems

The Raman scattering of a molecule is generated by interactions of its electrons with incident light. The electric vector of the Raman scattered light is related to the electric vector of the incident light through a characteristic Raman tensor. A unique Raman tensor exists for each Raman-active molecular vibrational mode. In the case of biologically important macromolecules Raman tensors have been determined for a few hundred vibrational Raman bands. These include proteins and their amino acid constituents, as well as nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and their nucleotide constituents. In this review Raman tensors for 39 representative vibrational Raman bands of biological molecules are considered. We present details of the Raman tensor determinations and discuss their application in structural studies of filamentous bacteriophages (fd, Pf1, Pf3 and PH75), fowl feather rachis and eyespots of the protists, Chlamydomonas and Euglena.