Normal and Surface-Enhanced Raman Investigations of Carbon Materials

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Raman spectroscopy is rapidly developing as a nondestructive technique for the surface characterization of carbon materials. An advantage of Raman analyses is that the substrate surface may be both spatially localized (determined by the position and diameter of the probe beam) and effectively depth profiled (comparing normal and surface-enhanced Raman data) without the need to employ surface-disruptive sample preparation techniques. The efficacy of normal and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for investigating carbon surfaces is demonstrated by comparing Raman and SERS spectra of monolithic graphitic carbon and 7-μm graphite fiber. The data obtained indicate the existence of more disordered carbon at surfaces as compared to the bulk, exemplify the need for empirically determining innocuous silver deposition conditions (for SERS), and demonstrate the utility of Raman spectroscopy for investigating carbon materials.