Breakthrough in Raman spectroscopy helps European industry better analyse materials

The European CHARISMA project has achieved a breakthrough in Raman spectroscopy. The technique focuses a laser on materials and analyses the reflected light. In this way, the chemical composition of the material can be determined. The technology is rapidly gaining ground various sectors. Think, for instance, of fraud prevention, food safety and sustainable production. Thanks to the European CHARISMA project, with the VUB as scientific leader, there are now harmonised standards, guidelines and open tools that make Raman spectroscopy more reliable and more widely applicable.

Every material or product has its own chemical signature, but unfortunately in the past, chemical signatures have varied from one research institution to another. The European research project CHARISMA, which stands for Characterisation and HARmonization for Industrial Standardisation of advanced MAterials, made major advances in several areas. For instance, thanks to the project, there is more harmonisation and standardisation of Raman spectroscopy. The result is a powerful technique for materials analysis.

Consortium

The project was led by a consortium of European partners. Important contributions came, among others, from the Materials Modelling Group (MMG), led by Professor Frederik Tielens, of the General Chemistry Research Group (ALGC) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The MMG at the VUB is a draught horse in the field of simulation and modelling of materials. The method has existed in chemistry for decades and has grown to become an indispensable method in current research.

Raman spectroscopy

"Our group's expertise in material simulations provided in-depth insights into the spectroscopic properties of different materials, such as the behaviour of nanomaterials and their interaction with light." Speaking is Professor Ionut Tranca of MMG. "In particular, we were able to fine-tune a unique quantum chemical method to calculate Raman spectra in realistic conditions," adds Professor Frederik Tielens.

Accuracy, reproducibility and interoperability

"Raman spectroscopy is used to study the chemical composition and structure of materials. The CHARISMA project focused on improving the accuracy, reproducibility and interoperability of Raman data for industrial and scientific applications. This was done with partners from across Europe, including universities, research institutes and industrial players. Together, we achieved several of our goals," says Fileto Rodriguez, who carried out his PhD studies as part of the project.

Objectives

Specifically, there are three main objectives. A first objective is about Harmonisation and standardisation: the consortium partners developed guidelines and protocols to calibrate and harmonise Raman instruments, leading to the publication of two CEN Workshop Agreements (CWAs), which are now available as European standards.

The second objective concerns the creation of innovative software and a database. CHARISMA introduced open-source tools such as the Ramanchada2 library and an online Raman database that follows FAIR principles. These new tools support users in data processing and analysis via local and cloud solutions.

Finally, the research team explored industrial applications. The project demonstrated the value of Raman spectroscopy through practical examples, such as food packaging with antimicrobial properties and the development of environmentally friendly pigments for polymers.
“Thanks to CHARISMA, we can now not only generate more reliable data, but also accelerate the industrial adoption of Raman spectroscopy. The project highlights the power of European collaboration in science and innovation,” concludes Professor Tielens.

Further development

With the completion of the project, discussions have started to further develop the standards into international ISO standards, which will strengthen CHARISMA's impact worldwide. Materials can be analysed ever better thanks to the project.

Source: VUB

Photo: Image by Darwin Laganzon via Pixabay

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