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Karen Faulds of the University of Strathclyde co-authored a paper where SESORS signals could be detected from nanotags at depths down to 48 mm for the first time using a handheld spatially offset Raman (SORS) instrument. She recently spoke to Spectroscopy about this and some of her other papers and the advances in the science that made them possible. Faulds is the 2022 recipient of the RSC Analytical Division Mid-Career Award. This interview is part of an ongoing series of interviews with the winners of awards that are presented at the annual SciX conference, which will be held this year from October 2 through October 7, in Covington, Kentucky.

A Decade of Surface Enhanced Spatially Offset Raman Scattering (SESORS)

Raman and XRF spectroscopy were used to examine paint in artwork, revealing the potential of both techniques to verify the authenticity of famous works of art.

A Different Kind of Art Analysis

James Piret, and Robin Turner, of Michael Smith Laboratories (Vancouver, BC Canada) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) have been exploring the benefits of extracting and displaying correlated spectrometric and non-spectrometric variables with a proposed method called multisource correlation analysis (MuSCA). Their work has uncovered several advantages of using Raman spectroscopy for these applications. Here, they discuss their efforts to develop an approach that permitted the integration of diverse biochemical information with measured spectra for co-analysis to characterize the spectra and take advantage of the available spectral information. 

Multisource Correlation Analysis (MuSCA) Applied to Raman Spectroscopy for Biochemical Analysis

Wei Min, of the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University in New York City, and his associates recently published a paper outlining their devising a set of multiplexed Raman molecular probes with sharp and mutually resolvable Raman peaks to simultaneously quantify cell surface proteins, endocytosis activities, and metabolic dynamics of an individual live cell. Min, who recently spoke to us about this work, is the 2022 recipient of the Craver Award, presented annually at FACSS SciX to recognize the efforts of young professional spectroscopists that have made significant contributions in applied analytical vibrational spectroscopy.

Multiplexed Live-Cell Profiling with Raman Probes

In this study, in situ Raman spectroscopy was used to detect the formation, growth, and evolution of corrosion inside a salt fog chamber. These results pave the way for monitoring the real-time observation of corrosion on metal surfaces.

In situ Raman Spectroscopy Monitors the Corrosion of Mild Steel in a Salt Fog Chamber

 is the Principal Raman Applications Scientist for Horiba Scientific in Edison, New Jersey.

Here, we explain how Raman spectroscopy is valuable for characterizing industrially important carbon materials.

Use of Raman Spectroscopy to Qualify Carbon Materials

As an alternative drug delivery route, transdermal patches control the amount of medication a patient receives. With confocal Raman microscopy it is possible to create a Raman 3D map and thus visualize and analyze the layers of a transdermal patch without damaging it, allowing for quality control and stability measurements.

Analysis of Transdermal Patch Layers via Confocal Raman Microscopy

In this second part of this four-part series on spectroscopy instrument components, we take a closer look at optical components or subassemblies used for vibrational spectroscopy instruments.

A Survey of Basic Instrument Components Used in Spectroscopy, Part 2: Optical Materials and Designs

Several types of Raman spectroscopy, including Fourier transform (FT)–Raman and dispersive Raman, are well suited to examine and understand the fat compositional heterogeneity in solid foods, identify polymorph or crystallinity, and measure fatty acid saturation.

Raman Spectroscopy in Analyzing Fats and Oils in Foods

Raman spectroscopy is a valuable tool for research and quality control of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are a critical aspect of renewable energy technologies. We highlight two cases of bulk analysis of lithium compounds using Raman spectroscopy.