Confocal Raman

Microscopy
An Odyssey
Project Overview

 Title: Chemical & Mechanical Effects of Fiber Networks on Wettability

 Goals:
 Characterize Surface Chemistry of Electrospun PVP-TiO2 Nanofiber Networks.
 Pray to the WITec Powers-That-Be.
 Drying Conditions ՜ Characterize Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Behavior.
 Why? Underlying chemistry/physics?
Microscopy Overview

 Use of microscopes to view and observe areas of objects otherwise impossible

with the naked human eye.
 Confocal Microscopy!
What is Confocal Raman Microscopy?
 Confocal Microscopy that takes advantage of Raman Scattering!
 Raman Scattering?
Confocal Raman Microscopy
 Effects based on light interactions with chemical bonds! Leads to specific
energy shifts in back-scattered light!
 Raman Spectrum is unique for each chemical composition!
 Qualitative AND Quantitative Information
 What do we gain from scattering?
 Chemical “Fingerprint” of scanned surface
 Characterize present Functional Groups
 Area scans:
 Rayleigh Imaging
 Functional Group Mapping

 3-D Raman Imaging & Depth Profiles

Disordered Carbon Structure

 D band signal ~ 1350 cm-1

 G band signal ~ 1620 cm-1
 Disordered structure of
Graphene
Research Data
 D and G band peaks present at ≥ 175 0C

150 oC

175 oC

200 oC
Research Data
 150 oC vs. 200 oC

150 oC

~1350 cm-1

~1620 cm-1 200 oC

Future Work

 Contact angle measurements to characterize effects on surface interactions

 Atomic Force Microscopy – statistical characterization based on geometry
 Combining Raman with AFM easily links chemical properties with the surface
structure ՜ Surface Physics
 Goal: Gather enough data to publish a research paper/note characterizing
catalytic reaction producing disordered graphitic structure in electrospun
samples, and its effect on surface interactions/thermodynamics.