LED-SERDS in Raman Spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy finds a range of uses in analytical chemistry. Like infra-red (IR) spectroscopy it can provide a vibrational fingerprint by which compounds may be identified. Unlike IR, Raman is a scattering technique that does not require complex sample preparation, and water can be used as a solvent. In some samples, however, the Raman spectrum is rendered useless by intense fluorescence signals.
Chemical engineers Renata Adami (University of Salerno, Italy) and Johannes Kiefer (University of Aberdeen, UK) have developed a new approach to shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) for suppression of fluorescence. SERDS experiments conventionally require expensive diode lasers, but in this Analyst paper Kiefer and Adami demonstrate the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as an inexpensive light source. A dielectric bandpass filter narrows and stabilises the broad LED spectrum to make it usable for SERDS. While the resulting spectral resolution is low, different compounds and functional groups can be clearly distinguished using this method.
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Renata Adami and Johannes Kiefer
Analyst, 2013,138, 6258-6261
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN01367G
