Press release -
The microscope that reveals the chemical composition of samples
An international research team coordinated by the Institute FOR Photonics and Nanotechnologies of the National Research Council in Milan has developed a new optical microscope that produces detailed images of the chemical composition of a sample more effectively compared to currently used systems: it opens up new perspectives in the fields of materials and life sciences. The result, obtained in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, Columbia University and Standford University, is published in the journal Optica.
Milan, 23 June 2023 - An international research team coordinated by the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies of the National Research Council in Milan(CNR-Ifn) and involving researchers from Politecnico di Milano’s Department of Physics, Columbia University in New York and Stanford University in California has developed an innovative optical microscope capable of producing detailed images of the chemical composition of a sample more effectively compared to the systems currently in use.
This instrument represents a major breakthrough in the field of microscopy and spectroscopy, opening up new perspectives for research in the materials and life sciences. In fact, it will be able to contribute to the study of innovative two-dimensional materials and to the detection and characterisation of microplastics found in the environment and within animal tissues.
The benefits of the microscope stem from the unprecedented combination of two techniques: Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform spectroscopy.
The Raman effect is a physical phenomenon that has been exploited for decades to obtain information on the composition of a sample without perturbing it: thanks to it, two-dimensional maps of the properties of biological material or tissue can be obtained.
In their work, published in the journal Optica, the researchers from their respective institutes demonstrate - by means of Fourier transform spectroscopy - that they have overcome the main problem with commercially available Raman microscopes, namely the long time required to acquire a detailed image of the sample, due to the fact that they measure a spectrum for each point by scanning its surface: a slow process that takes about 1 second for each point (pixel).
Fourier transforms spectroscopy actually allows measuring all points on the sample in parallel, removing the spatial or spectral filters used in traditional techniques: this method, based on a process known as 'interferometry', combines high efficiency with the possibility of acquiring several data on the same sample simultaneously.
In their study, the researchers employed a birefringent interferometer of exceptional stability and repeatability; the system acquires Raman and fluorescence maps with a high spatial resolution (less than 1 micrometre) in up to 100 times less time than conventional instruments. Research coordinator Cristian Manzoni(CNR-Ifn) emphasises that 'this method also allows measuring Raman and fluorescence signals separately, making it possible - in a novel way - to study both phenomena on the same sample area and to obtain much more spectral information compared to traditional techniques'.
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