SBIR Phase I: High Definition Raman Imaging Microscope

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种超窄带液晶可调谐滤波器（LCTF），作为拉曼化学成像显微镜站的基础，用于固态材料的非侵入性化学表征。该技术在性能和实用性方面的优势将使拉曼化学成像首次成为主流分析方法，即使是非专家也可以使用，并适用于常规工业过程监测和材料分析。拉曼化学成像具有表征异质系统的能力，而不需要大量的样品制备。化学成像允许人们可视化决定材料功能的成分的组成和空间分布，这是表征高级复合材料的基础。基于LCTF的优化拉曼成像系统可以很容易地用于分析各种材料，包括聚合物、耐腐蚀合金和药物。在第一阶段，我们将通过构建一个高分辨率滤波器并在显微镜中使用它来从测试样品中获得拉曼图像来证明可行性。拉曼化学成像系统将在聚合物和涂料工业中具有广泛的适用性，可以在不需要样品染色的情况下对区域和缺陷进行化学特异性可视化。铁合金腐蚀的现场监测是另一个重要用途，而第三个应用是药用晶体材料多态性的定量研究。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop an ultra-narrowband liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) as the basis of a Raman chemical imaging microscopy station for non-invasive chemical characterization of solid-state materials. The advantages in performance and practicality provided by this technique will allow Raman chemical imaging to become a mainstream analytical methodology for the first time, accessible even to non-experts and applicable for routine industrial process monitoring and materials analysis. Raman chemical imaging has the capability to characterize heterogeneous systems without the need for significant sample preparation. Chemical imaging allows one to visualize the composition and spatial distribution of constituents that dictate material function, which is fundamental to characterizing advanced composite materials. An optimized Raman imaging system based on an LCTF can readily be used to analyze a wide variety of materials, including polymers, corrosion resistant alloys, and pharmaceuticals. In Phase I, we will demonstrate feasibility by constructing a high resolution filter and using it in a microscope to obtain Raman images from test samples. A Raman chemical imaging system will have broad applicability in the polymer and coatings industries for chemically specific visualization of domains and defects without the need for sample staining. In-situ monitoring of corrosion in ferrous alloys is another important use, while a third application lies in quantitative studies of polymorphism in pharmaceutical crystalline materials.