Advantages of Raman Spectroscopy
- many organic and inorganic materials are suitable for Raman analysis. These can be solids, liquids, polymers or vapors.
- no sample preparation needed.
- not interfered by water.
- highly specific like a chemical fingerprint of a material.
- Raman spectra are acquired quickly within seconds.
- samples can be analyzed through glass or a polymer packaging.
- laser light and Raman scattered light can be transmitted by optical fibers over long distances for remote analysis.
- in Raman spectroscopy, the region from 4000 cm-1 to 50 cm-1 can be covered by a single recording.
- Raman spectra can be collected from a very small volume (< 1 μm in diameter).
- inorganic materials are easily analysable with Raman spectroscopy.
Disadvatantages of Raman Spectroscopy
- can not be used for metals or alloys.
- the Raman effect is very weak. The detection needs a sensitive and highly optimized instrumentation.
- fluorescence of impurities or of the sample itself can hide the Raman spectrum. Some compounds fluoresce when irradiated by the laser beam.
- sample heating through the intense laser radiation can destroy the sample or cover the Raman spectrum.
[Reference: University of Cambridge – Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS).]