Automated 3D Raman imaging system for industrial labs
The WITec apyron imaging system has been developed to overcome the gap between ease-of-use and ultimate capability in Raman imaging. It is ideal for multi-user/industrial labs, Raman newcomers with advanced imaging requirements and established Raman spectroscopists.
apyron sets the benchmark for automated Raman imaging systems offering: outstanding spectral and spatial resolution, ultra-fast acquisition times, and exceptional signal sensitivity in combination with automated system configurations and intuitive measurement procedures.
Fig. 1: 3D confocal Raman image of the emulsion. Green: Alkane; blue: Water; yellow: CCl4 + oil. (Image parameters: 200 x 200 x 20 pixels, 100 x 100 x 10 µm³ scan range, 0.06 s integration time per spectrum, 532 nm excitation wavelength.) Zoom-in image with high spectral resolution. (Image parameters: 100 x 100 pixels, 10 x 10 µm², 0.08 s integration time per spectrum, UHTS 600 spectrometer, 1800 g/mm grating.) Due to the high spectral resolution of the spectroscopic system the bands of the CCl4 peak at cm-1 can be clearly resolved at room temperature.
Key features
- TruePower: automated absolute laser power determination in mW
- Automated laser wavelength selection and spectrometer adjustment
- Ultra-high throughput spectrometers for unprecedented spectral resolution
Application examples
- Carbon tetrachloride in an alkane-water-oil emulsion
Figure 1: Carbon tetrachloride is quite often used as a reference sample in order to determine the performance of a Raman spectrometer in terms of spectral resolution. The characteristic peak at 460 rel. 1/cm should be clearly resolvable at room temperature. Due to its ultra-high optical throughput the apyron is the first system on the market to allow for fast Raman imaging while simultaneously maintaining the ability to resolve this peak.
Fig. 2: Only the apyron is capable of generating Raman images along with the following parameters: Excitation: 532 nm, laser power: 49.9 mW, Scan area: 400 x 300 µm², 1200 x 900 pixels, Integration time: 2 ms/spectrum/pixel
Figure 2: White-light microscopy and color-coded Raman image overlay of a squashed banana pulp sample. This experiment was performed in the WITec application lab to show the capabilities of the new system. In food technology it is important to know as much as possible on the distribution of food components such as starch and carotene. The measurement shows starch particles agglomerating in the pulp-cells.
The Raman image was acquired with an apyron attached to the 600 mm focal length UHTS 600 spectrometer system (grating: 300 g/mm) to provide the highest spectral performance. Red: Beta-carotene-rich areas, Green: Starch, Blue: Water
