Overview
My research is in the field of modern vibrational spectroscopy including infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopies. Our laboratory is exceptionally well-equipped for applied vibrational spectroscopy. We have mid-IR, near-IR and emission-IR spectrometers, an FT-Raman spectrometer, two Raman microprobe spectrometers, and an imaging IR spectrometer. We also have a wide range of sampling accessories including IR microscopes, ATR, photoacoustic and fibre optic accessories, and a suite of computers dedicated to spectroscopic data manipulation.
- Research leader
- Organisational unit
- Lead unit Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Chemistry
Associate Professor Peter FredericksDetails
Raman map of surface crystallinity of a polymer
We apply vibrational spectroscopy to a number of areas such as:
- Polymer science including polymer characterisation, polymerisation reactions, polymer blends, polymer degradation and surface spectroscopy of graft copolymers. Recent projects include:
- study of surfaces modified by graft copolymerisation using mainly Raman mapping
- study of the degradation of titania-containing polyethylene
- In situ monitoring of laboratory scale extrusion by fibre optic near infrared spectroscopy
- Biological samples such as wool and hair, teeth, soft tissues, skin, etc. Several techniques have been employed in this area, but the most important have been the FTIR microscope and the Raman microprobe, both of which can be used to map the distribution of various components within the biological samples. The most recent work has been on the spectroscopy of bacterial cells and colonies.
- Analytical techniques derived from surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). SERS has the capability to detect and identify trace organic and inorganic species, and has the potential to be a sensitive analytical tool. These techniques are being applied in the area of homeland security because of their capability to detect explosives, pathogenic organisms, and illicit drugs.
- Surface enhanced Raman (SERS) based bioassays by coating gold nanoparticles with tailored polymers and adding a "molecular barcode" in the form of a SERS active molecule to identify the particular nanoparticle. Potentially, this approach can be more sensitive and can exploit multiplexing in a way that conventional fluorescence methods cannot.
Schematic of SERS-based bioassay gold nanoparticles (NP)
