Raman Spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy measures inelastic light scattering from molecular vibrations and phonons, providing structural and compositional information complementary to FTIR, with particular sensitivity to carbon materials, ordered crystalline phases, and strain. As a hard skill it requires selecting excitation wavelength to balance fluorescence avoidance with resonance enhancement, optimizing laser power to avoid sample damage, and interpreting band positions, widths, and intensity ratios quantitatively. Battery researchers apply Raman to characterize graphite disorder (D/G ratio), detect phase transformations in cathodes, monitor solid electrolyte interphase carbon species, and map electrode inhomogeneity in situ during cycling.
