Determination of the chemical composition of materials by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

This work is devoted to the phenomenon of Raman scattering of light. The fundamental principles underlying this phenomenon are studied and described, factors that influence the registered signal are identified, and the main techniques based on the Raman method are considered. Two basic types of Raman spectrometers, dispersive and Fourier transform are compared. Much attention is paid to the structure of the spectrometer and the principle of its operation. The experimental part was performed using the Horiba Jobin-Yvon LabRam HR800 spectrometer. To verify the correct operation of the spectrometer, the Raman spectra of mica, paraffin, polyethylene, and polypropylene were obtained and compared with reference ones. The main practical task of this work was to search for microplastic particles on the surface of a contaminated filter using the Raman spectral mapping function. The results showed the absence of the desired substances in the limited analyzed area of the filter, but some other chemical elements were identified. The problems associated with the mapping duration of the entire surface and the complexity of the subsequent processing of results make further analysis difficult.