Fourier transform raman micro-spectroscopy with IR excitation : a unique system to characterize bio-inorganic materials and interfaces

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We propose the purchase of an FT-Raman spectroscope with 1064 nm laser excitation to be combined with a Raman microscope present in Cerruti's lab. This combined system does not exist anywhere in Canada, and is essential for the analysis of samples that fluoresce when excited with visible radiation. Raman microscopy is conventionally performed with visible or UV lasers. However, lasers in the visible range often excite fluorescent radiation, which can be overwhelming in biological and organometallic samples. To avoid this problem and still have a large enough signal/noise ratio, Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy with IR laser excitation was developed. The IR laser does not generate fluorescence in the samples; the radiation collected from the sample goes through an interferometer before hitting the detector, thus allowing the collection of a whole spectrum in less than a second. By accumulating hundreds of spectra the signal/noise ratio is dramatically increased. Here we propose to buy an FT-Raman spectrometer with a laser at 1064 nm, which we will connect to a Raman microscope already present in Cerruti's lab. This combination will allow us to collect FT-Raman spectra using the 1064 nm laser with a spatial resolution of ~1 micron, as opposed to the resolution of ~50 micron obtained with a microscope stage set in the FT-Raman spectrometer. This combination is extremely rare, and no other systems like this exist in Canada. It is a crucial tool to analyze bio-inorganic materials and interfaces, and this system will support the programs of at least seven researchers from Mining and Materials, Chemical, Mechanical, Bio-Engineering, and Chemistry at McGill and at least 46 of their trainees. We expect many more users will be attracted once the system is installed, for example among members of the McGill Institute for Advanced Materials, the Center for Bone and Periodontal Disease, and the Center for Biorecognition and Biosensors. Working with FT-Raman spectro-microscopy, the students will extend their expertise in materials surface characterization, especially for applications in biomaterials, bioengineering, biosensing, pharmaceutics, forensic, and art restoration.