We have two systems that are available for Raman and SERS experiments. A DeltaNu Advantage 532 is located in Murdock Hall room 114. This spectrometer is equipped with an adjustable vial holder, a NuScope, an x,y,z translation stage (for large samples) and a 532 nm variable power diode laser. We primarily use this system for solution SERS, SERS of analytes on colloidal metal films, and normal Raman spectroscopy of neat liquids and pure solids. It is also used extensively in our teaching labs (including organic chemistry).

Our second system is located in Graf Hall, room 012, in the Linfield Research Institute (LRI). Two laser lines are available for this system (632.8 nm HeNe and 532 nm DPSS). Switching between lasers requires swapping beamsplitters and holographic notch filters.

The CVI Digikrom 240 monochromator is equipped with two gratings (600 g/mm and 1200 g/mm) and an Apogee thermoelectrically cooled charge coupled device (CCD). This instrument is primarily used for solution and solid phase SERS experiments, and in upper level lab courses.

We are currently adding confocal microscope capabilities to this system, based on LaPlant and Ben-Amotz, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 66, 3537-3544 (1995).

The department of chemistry also has several UV-vis spectrometers and a fluorimeter that are used regularly in our research.