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Ultra-high-speed line-scan Raman imaging
Summary
Scientists have developed a much faster way to use lasers to scan materials and identify their exact chemical makeup—up to 10,000 times quicker than older methods. This new technique could speed up the detection of microplastics in our environment and food, and help scientists study living cells and check the quality of medications more efficiently, potentially leading to faster health research and safety testing down the road.
Raman spectroscopic imaging has emerged as a potent tool due to its non-invasive nature and capability for chemical composition analysis. Line-scan Raman spectroscopy accelerates imaging speed by two orders of magnitude compared to point detection Raman methods. However, further enhancements in imaging speed were constrained by the readout speed of typically used charge-coupled device (CCD) spectroscopic detectors. We developed an ultra-fast line-scan Raman imaging technique based on recently available complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detectors with low cost and read noise, and fast readout during exposure combined with a global shutter. Employing a high-efficiency transmissiongrating imaging spectrometer, we demonstrate imaging speeds up to two orders of magnitude faster than traditional line scan Raman imaging techniques and up to four orders of magnitude faster than point scan Raman methods, achieving Raman imaging up to 80 kHz spectral rate. We demonstrate that this technology is applicable to a variety of samples, including microplastics, biological cells, and tablets, creating images in an extremely short time frame, showcasing exceptional detection capabilities and the ability to reveal detailed information.