Funded by the hydrogen infrastructure program of the Montanuniversität Leoben, a Witec alpha300R Raman microscope was purchased at the Materials Science Department and it was installed in December 2021. The device combines the possibilities of conventional light microscopy with Raman spectroscopy. The underlying Raman effect is based on the inelastic scattering of the light from a laser on the molecules within a sample. Thus, the chemical fingerprint of the sample can be characterized both laterally and depth resolved. Using the attached heating chamber allows to investigate the material behavior in-situ up to a temperature of 1500 ° C. Within the hydrogen focus of the Montanuniversität, the Raman microscope will be used for the characterization of functionalized nanoporous carbons for hydrogen storage. Furthermore, Raman microscopy will be applied for the characterization of chemical bonds, phase changes or oxidation processes of construction and functional materials.
