Oct. 2, 2024
20th Raman Imaging Symposium – Review
Scientists of diverse expertise illuminated the full spectrum of applications.
This year’s Raman Imaging Symposium welcomed some of the technique’s most innovative practitioners, showcased its versatility, and hosted a round anniversary celebration as its original dedicated conference.
Researchers from throughout the global Raman community again convened in Ulm’s Stadthaus for presentations, poster sessions and the collegial atmosphere conducive to discussion for which the Symposium has become renowned.
The event commenced with greetings from Oxford Instruments WITec Head of Marketing Harald Fischer and new Managing Director Dr. Benjamin Tordoff. They recounted the evolution of the Raman Imaging Symposium and how it echoed that of the method itself, while also looking forward to new developments and discoveries.
Then, following a theoretical primer, technical summary and talk on correlative Raman-SEM for biomineralization studies, the evening lecture featured physics as entertainment with humor and experimental demonstrations.
The second day sessions; New Frontiers in Geochemistry Research; Advanced Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research; and Exploring Novel Materials preceded the contributed presentations, which included studies of energetic particles, medical diagnostics, microbiology, nutritional science, and Raman-EDX correlation.
Between sessions and over coffee, the scientific posters that graced the Symposium walls were the subject of enthusiastic debate. Ultimately, the jury was tasked with selecting just one for special recognition.
The winner of this year’s Raman Imaging Symposium Poster Award is Dr. Nikolay Zhelev for: Laser Annealing of a Site-Selective Electrodeposited MoS2-WSe2 Heterostructure and correlative SEM-Raman via WITec RISE
Along with colleagues from the University of Southampton in the U.K., Dr. Zhelev used a laser line scan to thermally anneal thin films of molybdenum sulfide and tungsten diselenide in a heterostructure to precisely scribe electrical connections. This avoids imparting thermal stress across the entire device, as is the case with conventional furnace annealing, and enables localized material quality monitoring in real-time.
The third day brought attendees to Oxford Instruments WITec headquarters for demonstrations of the very latest technologies and the chance to engage directly with the company’s developers and application scientists.
The 20th Raman Imaging Symposium successfully expanded on the traits that make the conference exceptional: the sheer range of fields it highlights, the relaxed forum for the exchange of knowledge it provides, and the genuine sense of community it cultivates.
The organizers now look forward to next year, when the 21st Raman Imaging Symposium returns to Ulm, September 22-24, 2025. You are cordially invited to join the event then, and to browse the details as they become available at: www.raman-symposium.com
About WITec
WITec pioneered 3D Raman imaging as well as correlative microscopy and continues to lead the industry in speed, sensitivity and resolution without compromise. Raman, AFM, and SNOM microscopes, select combinations thereof, Raman-based particle analysis systems, and Raman-SEM (RISE) instruments can be configured through a modular hardware and software architecture with built-in capacity for expansion. Research, development and production are located at WITec headquarters in Ulm, Germany. WITec is a member of the Oxford Instruments Group.
Press Contact
WITec GmbH
Lise-Meitner-Str. 6, 89081 Ulm, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 731 140 70 0
E-mail: press@WITec.de
https://Raman.oxinst.com