Applications of optical and Raman microscopy

Teachers

Prof. Vergara1, Dr. Manuela Rossi2 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)         

1 DSC, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

2 DISTAR, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

Credits

(planned)

2

Planned hours

16

Planned schedules

Interested students have to contact Prof. Vergara or Dr.  Rossi to arrange the detailed timetable

Objectives

The course aims to provide the theoretical and applied aspects of optical microscopy (boh stereo and polirazation microscopy) and Raman microscopy (in its variants non-stimulated and stimulated) also compared to IR microspectroscopy.

Description

Part A. Optical Microscopy. The short course presents techniques concerning the microscopic observation of materials, using stereomicroscopes (three dimensional observations) and polarizing microscope (two dimensional observations). Topics related to optical, textural, morphological and physical properties of inorganic material will be primarily addressed.

The interaction phenomena of light and matter in optically isotropic and anisotropic materials will be presented and applied to the materials study with petrographic microscope, specifying the equipment correct alignment for properties observation as index of refraction, pleochroism, cleavage, interference color, extinction angle, optical indicatrix and particular features as twinning and chemical zoning. These remarks are focused both to recognition of the material under study and to characterize the crystal physics.

The other part of the course will focus on material morphological and textural features with three-dimensional observations. The various morphologies typically applied to the study of inorganic material as aggregates and single crystals will be presented. Regarding composite materials, textural features (essential to understanding growth relationships between the various components) will be presented. The setting of the microscope on the basis of the type of material under investigation (observation in transmitted or reflected light) will be discussed.

 

Part B. Raman Microscopy. A brief introduction on the theory of Raman spectroscopy (resonance Raman, CARS and SERS), followed by some examples of application of Raman imaging.

Final evaluation

Presentation of an application of Raman and/or optical microscopy to be defined with the teacher.