Phonon–phonon interactions in Ce0.85Gd0.15O2−δ nanocrystals studied by Raman spectroscopy

Phonon–phonon interactions and phase stability of Gd‐doped ceria nanocrystals were examined over the temperature range 293–1100 K by Raman spectroscopy. The phonon confinement model (PCM) based on size, inhomogeneous strain and anharmonic effects was used to properly describe the anharmonic interactions in this system. The interplay between size and anharmonic effects influenced different phonon decay channels in nano grains than in larger grains. After the gradual cooling down to room temperature (RT), the Raman study revealed the phase separation in this system pointing to the phase instability of Ce_0.85Gd_0.15O_2−δ nanocrystals after heat treatment. The concentration of extrinsic (intrinsic) oxygen vacancies was also studied by Raman spectroscopy during the heat treatment of the Ce_0.85Gd_0.15O_2−δ nanocrystalline sample. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman spectral studies of Zr4+‐rich BaZrxTi1−xO3(0.5⩽x⩽1.00) phase diagram

This paper reports a systematic study of the composition and the temperature‐dependent‐Raman spectra of Zr⁴⁺‐rich BaZr_xTi_1−xO₃ (BZT) ceramic compositions (0.50⩽x⩽1.00). On the basis of the dielectric behavior of Zr rich BZT ceramics, the observed relaxor behavior has been hypothesized as a result of increasing long‐range interactions of nanosized, Ti⁴⁺‐rich polar regions in a Zr⁴⁺‐rich nonpolar matrix. Beyond an optimum concentration of BaTiO₃ (BT) in the nonpolar matrix of BaZrO₃ (x⩽0.75), a critical size and density of the polar regions is reached when the polar clusters start showing the relaxor like behavior, which finally show classical relaxor behavior for compositions with x = 0.5 and 0.6. This hypothesis is strongly supported from the Raman data on Zr‐rich BZT presented in this paper. Well‐defined BT Raman spectra for 5% BT in BZT composition were recorded, which followed completely up to the 50% Ti addition in the BZT samples. The temperature‐dependent Raman spectra collected on the BZT ceramics far beyond the dielectric transition temperatures supported the existence of the nano‐polar BT regions, like in typical relaxor samples. The full width at half‐maximum (FWHM), integrated intensity of the peaks in the Raman spectra has been analyzed to further support the conclusions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cerussite,PbCO3 – a new Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)‐active crystal with high‐order Stokes and anti‐Stokes lasing

Orthorhombic PbCO₃, known as natural crystal cerussite, is presented as a new Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)‐active crystal. With picosecond laser pumping high‐order Raman‐induced χ⁽³⁾ generation is observed. All registered Stokes and anti‐Stokes sidebands in the visible and near‐IR are identified and attributed to the SRS‐promoting phonon mode A_1g of the carbonate group, with ω_SRS ≈ 1054 cm⁻¹. The first Stokes steady‐state Raman gain coefficient in the visible spectral range is estimated as well to a value not less than 4.6 cm·GW⁻¹.     

Molecular structure,spectroscopic (FTIR,FTIR gas phase,FT‐Raman) first‐order hyperpolarizability and HOMO–LUMO analysis of 4‐methoxy‐2‐methyl benzoic acid

Vibrational spectral analysis was carried out for 4‐methoxy‐2‐methyl benzoic acid (4M2MBA) by using Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) (solid, gas phase) and FT‐Raman spectroscopy in the range of 400–4000 and 10–3500 cm⁻¹ respectively. The effects of molecular association through O H···O hydrogen bonding have been described by the single dimer structure. The theoretical computational density functional theory (DFT) and Hatree‐Fock (HF) method were performed at 6–311++G(d,p) levels to derive the equilibrium geometry, vibrational wavenumbers, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities. The scaled theoretical wavenumbers were also shown to be in good agreement with experimental data. The first‐order hyperpolarizability (β₀) of this novel molecular system and related properties (β, α₀ and Δα) of 4M2MBA are calculated using the B3LYP/cc‐pvdz basis set, based on the finite‐field approach. A detailed interpretation of the infrared and Raman spectra of 4M2MBA is reported. The theoretical spectrograms for FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra of the title molecule were also constructed and compared with the experimental one. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface‐enhanced Raman spectra of melamine and other chemicals using a 1550 nm (retina‐safe) laser

Many trace chemical analyses are being transitioned from the lab to the field, among which is surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Although initial portable Raman analyzers primarily employ 785 nm laser excitation, recent studies suggest longer wavelengths, with an appropriate surface‐enhanced Raman‐active substrate, may provide equal sensitivity. Furthermore, 1550 nm excitation may provide added safety for the user, in that permanent retina damage does not occur. Here, we show that a reasonable enhancement factor can be obtained for melamine using 1550 nm laser excitation that is nearly equivalent to those obtained using 785 and 1064 nm laser excitation. We also demonstrate that a number of other chemicals of interest can be measured by 1550 nm surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, albeit only modest sensitivity is achieved because of instrument limitations, not enhancement factors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman spectroscopic investigations on transition‐metal dichalcogenides MX2 (M = Mo,W; X = S,Se) at high pressures and low temperature

Transition‐metal dichalcogenides have been investigated using Raman spectroscopy both being off‐resonance and in resonance. The first‐order Raman spectra of MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂ and WSe₂ single crystal synthesized by vapor transport technique have been studied as a function of hydrostatic pressure (0–20 GPa) and temperature (80–300 K). Isobaric and isothermal mode‐Grüneisen parameters have been determined from the temperature and pressure‐dependent Raman spectra. The pressure dependence of the chalcogen–chalcogen and metal–chalcogen force constant has been obtained using a central force model. Separation of the temperature dependence of Raman mode wavenumbers into quasi‐harmonic and purely anharmonic contributions using measured high‐pressure Raman data allows us to extract the changes in the phonon wavenumbers arising exclusively due to anharmonic interactions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid atto‐molar level detection of surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy technique based on glycidyl methacrylate–ethylene dimethacrylate (GMA–EDMA) porous material

A novel miniature device for rapid ultra‐sensitive surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection was developed in the present study. The device was made of a syringe, a piece of filter, and a Teflon tube. Therefore, it was with advantages of simplicity, miniaturization, and easy operability. The tube was filled in advance with the glycidyl methacrylate‐ethylene dimethacrylate powder porous material which has been proved to increase the sensitivity of normal SERS dramatically, then the mixture solution containing the analyte, silver colloid, and NaCl solution passed through the porous material by the action of the syringe. SERS signals were collected from the surface of the material. Rhodamine 6G (R6G), p‐aminothiophenol (PATP), and thiabendazole (TBZ) were employed as the probe molecules in the present work. R6G at microlitre‐scale can be detected at an extremely low concentration of 10^–18 mol/l, and the relative standard deviation of spot to spot is 14.16% at the intensity of the band at 609 cm⁻¹. The concentrations of PATP and TBZ that can be detected with the method are 10⁻¹¹ mol/l and 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l, respectively. This method not only has achieved the ultra‐sensitive detection of dye and pesticide but also realized the simple, rapid, and small sample quantity requirement detection, and it is of great potential use for lots of analytes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature‐dependent Raman scattering in ferroelectric Bi4−xNdxTi3O12(x = 0, 0.5, 0.85) single crystals

The temperature‐dependent Raman spectra of ferroelectric Bi_4−xNd_xTi₃O₁₂(x = 0, 0.5, 0.85) single crystals were recorded from 100 to 800 K. It was found that there is a critical Nd content x₀ between 0.5 and 0.85. The Nd³⁺ ions prefer to replace Bi³⁺ ions in pseudo‐perovskite layers when x < x₀, while they might begin to incorporate into (Bi₂O₂)²⁺ layers when x ≥ x₀. Nd substitution leads to a decrease in the ferroelectric–paraelectric transition temperature (T_c). A monoclinic distortion of orthorhombic structure occurs in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ crystals at temperatures below 200 K. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative,comparable coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy: correcting errors in phase retrieval

Coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microspectroscopy has demonstrated significant potential for biological and materials imaging. To date, however, the primary mechanism of disseminating CARS spectroscopic information is through pseudocolor imagery, which explicitly neglects a vast majority of the hyperspectral data. Furthermore, current paradigms in CARS spectral processing do not lend themselves to quantitative sample‐to‐sample comparability. The primary limitation stems from the need to accurately measure the so‐called nonresonant background (NRB) that is used to extract the chemically sensitive Raman information from the raw spectra. Measurement of the NRB on a pixel‐by‐pixel basis is a nontrivial task; thus, surrogate NRB from glass or water is typically utilized, resulting in error between the actual and estimated amplitude and phase. In this paper, we present a new methodology for extracting the Raman spectral features that significantly suppresses these errors through phase detrending and scaling. Classic methods of error correction, such as baseline detrending, are demonstrated to be inaccurate and to simply mask the underlying errors. The theoretical justification is presented by re‐developing the theory of phase retrieval via the Kramers–Kronig relation, and we demonstrate that these results are also applicable to maximum entropy method‐based phase retrieval. This new error‐correction approach is experimentally applied to glycerol spectra and tissue images, demonstrating marked consistency between spectra obtained using different NRB estimates and between spectra obtained on different instruments. Additionally, in order to facilitate implementation of these approaches, we have made many of the tools described herein available free for download. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Raman tensor analysis of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3–LiSbO3 lead‐free ceramics and its application to study grain/domain orientation

A quantitative polarized Raman analysis of ferroelectric grain/domain orientation in LiSbO₃ (LS‐modified) (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ (KNN) ceramics is presented, based on the analysis of the complex orientation dependence in space of their Raman‐active modes. Complete sets of Raman tensor elements of A_g, and E_g phonon modes for orthorhombic/tetragonal structures of KNN have been determined. Through this spectroscopic algorithm, quantitative information could be extracted in terms of three Euler angles in space for KNN samples consisting of mixed phases, thus enabling quantitative visualization of the local distribution of grains/domains in the solid angle. As an application of the method, we quantitatively examined the unknown crystallographic grain orientation patterns on the surfaces of pure KNN and of KNN‐0.05LS ceramics. These two samples were useful to clarify a polymorphic phase transition from the orthorhombic to the tetragonal phase taking place in the LS‐modified KNN system. Thus, we demonstrated that polarized Raman spectroscopy is a valuable and efficient tool for nondestructive three‐dimensional assessments of grain/domain orientation in ferroelectric materials with complex polymorphic structures. We believe that the data shown here represent a typical scenario encountered in grain/domain orientation assessments of piezoelectric perovskites. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent effects on chemical processes: new solvents designed on the basis of the molecular–microscopic properties of (molecular solvent + 1,3‐dialkylimidazolium) binary mixtures

The purpose of this work was to analyze the microscopic feature of binary solvent systems formed by a molecular solvent (acetonitrile or dimethylformamide or methanol) and an ionic liquid (IL) cosolvent [1‐(1‐butyl)‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate or 1‐(1‐butyl)‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate]. The empirical solvatochromic solvent parameters E_T(30), π*, α, and β were determined from the solvatochromic shifts of adequate indicators. The behavior of the solvent systems was analyzed according to their deviation from ideality. The study focused on the identification of solvent mixtures with relevant solvating properties in order to select mixed solvents with particular characteristics. The comparison of the molecular–microscopic solvent parameters corresponding to the selected binary mixtures with both ILs considered at similar mixed‐solvent composition revealed that the difference is centered on the basic character of them. A kinetic study of a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction between 1‐fluoro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene (FDNB) and 1‐butylamine (BU) developed in (acetonitrile or dimethylformamide + IL) solvent mixtures is presented in order to investigate and compare the solvent effects on a chemical process. For the explored reactive systems the solvation behavior is dominated by both the dipolarity/polarizability and the basicity of the media, contributing these solvent properties to accelerating the chemical process. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of two Ag‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine surface species on Ag nanoparticle surfaces by excitation wavelength dependence of SERS spectra and factor analysis: evidence for chemical mechanism contribution to SERS of Ag(0)–tpy

Measurement and interpretation of the excitation wavelength dependence of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of molecules chemisorbed on plasmonic, e.g. Ag nanoparticle (NP) surfaces, are of principal importance for revealing the charge transfer (CT) mechanism contribution to the overall SERS enhancement. SERS spectra, their excitation wavelength dependence in the 445–780‐nm range and factor analysis (FA) were used for the identification of two Ag‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine (tpy) surface species, denoted Ag⁺–tpy and Ag(0)–tpy, on Ag NPs in systems with unmodified and/or purposefully modified Ag NPs originating from hydroxylamine hydrochloride‐reduced hydrosols. Ag⁺–tpy is a spectral analogue of [Ag(tpy)]⁺ complex cation, and its SERS shows virtually no excitation wavelength dependence. By contrast, SERS of Ag(0)–tpy surface complex generated upon chloride‐induced compact aggregate formation and/or in strongly reducing ambient shows a pronounced excitation wavelength dependence attributed to a CT resonance (the chemical mechanism) contribution to the overall SERS enhancement. Both the resonance (λ_exc = 532 nm) and off‐resonance (λ_exc = 780 nm) pure‐component spectra of Ag(0)–tpy obtained by FA are largely similar to surface‐enhanced resonance Raman scattering (λ_exc = 532 nm in resonance with singlet metal to ligand CT (¹ MLCT) transition) and SERS (λ_exc = 780 nm) spectra of [Fe(tpy)₂]²⁺ complex dication. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.