Raquel Portela (CSIC) on Current Trends in Raman Spectroscopy and CHARISMA

“Raman characterisation of functional materials at work with simultaneous assessment of their performance (operando methodology) is a powerful approach to understand structure-performance relationships.”

Raquel Portela (CSIC)

About Raquel Portela

Raquel Portela holds a PhD in Chemical, Environmental and Process Engineering (USC, 2008) and since 2020 is a Tenured Scientist at the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC). She works at the Instituto de Catálsis y Petroleoquímica (ICP), in the group of Spectroscopy and Industrial Catalysis (SpeICat). Her research lines focus on the use of and innovation in spectroscopy —often operando Raman— to better understand catalysis and nanomaterials, as well as on the development of functional shaped ceramics for different (photo)catalytic and adsorption processes related to air pollution control and reactions of industrial interest. Besides CHARISMA, she participates in several other running EU projects: MACBETH, PlasticsFatE, NanoInformaTIX, SUNSHINE, and NanoMECommons.

Could you describe your role in CHARISMA project?

I coordinate CHARISMA project with Miguel A. Bañares. We take care of the scientific management, chairing the general assemblies and the steering board meetings, and the financial management, allocating the funding to all partners. We are also the contact point with the European Commission through our project officer. I participate in all regular WP meetings trying to catalyse, as that’s my main expertise, the synergies between them and among the consortium.

As researcher, I’m mainly involved in two work packages. In WP3, I have contributed to the review of the Raman standardisation landscape and of the use of chemometrics in Raman (please see our two recent papers here: Review of Existing Standards, Guides, and Practices for Raman Spectroscopy and Chemometrics for Raman Spectroscopy Harmonization), as well as to the Round Robin test. In WP6, I was mainly involved in the demonstrator related to the implementation of in line Raman spectroscopy as process analytical technique for quality control in the fabrication of catalytic nanomaterials at TOPSOE.

What is it about Raman spectroscopy and Raman-related technologies that interests you the most?

Raman spectroscopy can provide molecular information of (nano)materials at virtually any condition, including in complex matrices —as for biologically relevant media, or during chemical reactions. Raman characterisation of functional materials at work with simultaneous assessment of their performance (operando methodology) is a powerful approach to understand structure-performance relationships, and here is where our research group has been very active in the field of catalysis, particularly trying to characterise catalysts in their final industrially relevant shape, not just as powders.

How do you evaluate the progress made in the field of Raman spectroscopy in the wider Raman community?

Over the past decades Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used both on an industrial and academic level. This has resulted in the development of numerous specialised Raman techniques and Raman active products. The pharmaceutic industry leads the industrial use of Raman spectroscopy, but it has a great potential in life and materials sciences, and the development of optimised common standards and harmonisation tools for qualitative and quantitative analysis would further foster the development and application of Raman spectroscopy techniques, most notably those of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and low-resolution portable analysers. The chemical and food industries and the field of security, case studies in CHARISMA project, are just some examples.

What are the current trends discussed in these and other events such as conferences, and how does CHARISMA contribute to the lively discussions in the field?

Data processing is a hot topic in advanced characterisation, and thus in Raman, as it is fundamental to analyse both complex spectral data such as time series or line profiles (1D), maps (2D), or even volumes (3D), as well as low resolution data obtained with simple Raman units as handheld devices. Harmonised and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data are key to advance in this direction.

We have presented CHARISMA objectives and preliminary findings in several conferences and events, and also to the manufacturers and related projects and initiatives. The most important Raman manufacturers have already shown their interest in the project and their willingness to participate in the Round Robin that we will perform to validate our calibration and harmonisation protocols.

As a vital part of CHARISMA project’s dissemination and stakeholders' engagement, you are organising a Raman Training School, which will take place on 18-19 October 2022 in Turin, Italy. As part of the scientific committee, could you please tell us the aim of this long-expected training school? Why should Raman researchers be there in Turin with CHARISMA Project?

The school will provide training in Raman spectroscopy and focus on various contemporary topics in the Raman-related fields, such as data harmonisation and analysis, new techniques and devices, or relevant and emerging applications. It will be an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the latest trends and progress in the field of Raman spectroscopy and to get involved in the Raman community, engaging with peers and experts.

Our school will take place on 18-19 October 2022 at the INRiM facilities in Turin, Italy. More information about the registrations, venues, and the programme will be available soon, so stay tuned!