Bioplastics on marine sandy shores: Effects on the key species Talitrus saltator (Montagu, 1808).

Talitrid amphipods are an important component of detritus web, playing a key role in the fragmentation of organic matters of marine and terrestrial origin, and it is well known that sandhoppers ingest microplastics. To assess the effective consumption of bioplastics and their effects on survival rate and on pollutants transfer (i.e.

Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanoparticles Platforms for the Detection and Discrimination of Native and Fibrillar Lysozyme: A Combined QCM and SERS Approach.

We propose a sensing platform based on graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles arrays (GO/AgNPs) for the detection and discrimination of the native and toxic fibrillar forms of an amyloid-prone protein, lysozyme, by means of a combination of Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) and Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) measurements. The GO/AgNPs layer system was obtained by Langmuir-Blodgett assembly of the silver nanoparticles followed by controlled adsorption of GO sheets on the AgNPs array. The adsorption of native and fibrillar lysozyme was followed by means of QCM, the measurements provided the kinetics and the mechanism of adsorption as a function of protein concentration as well as the mass and thickness of the adsorbed protein on both nanoplatforms.

Silver nanowires as infrared-active materials for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is increasing in significance as a bioanalytical tool. Novel nanostructured metal substrates are required to improve performances and versatility of SERS spectroscopy. In particular, as biological tissues are relatively transparent in the infrared wavelength range, SERS-active materials suitable for infrared laser excitation are needed.

The Raman and SERS spectra of indigo and indigo-Ag complex: DFT calculation and comparison with experiment.

Using time-dependent density functional theory in conjunction with B3LYP functional and LANL2DZ/6-31+g(d,p) basis sets, static and pre-resonance Raman spectra of the indigo-Ag complex have been calculated. Structure optimization, excitation energies and pre-resonance Raman spectra of the indigo molecule have been obtained at the same level of theory. The available experimental Raman spectra at 1064, 785 and 514nm and the SERS spectra at 785 and 514nm have been well reproduced by the calculation.

Resonance Raman Spectra of o-Safranin Dye, Free and Adsorbed on Silver Nanoparticles: Experiment and Density Functional Theory Calculation.

The properties of o-Safranin (SO) dye in the first electronic excited state were studied with combined experimental and theoretical methods. The electronic absorption spectra of SO molecules are measured in water solution and in the presence of silver nanoparticles. The normal Raman (NRS) and resonance Raman (RR) spectra of solid SO and the surface enhanced Raman (SERS) and surface enhanced resonance Raman (SE[R]RS) spectra of SO adsorbed on silver nanoparticles are measured at different excitation energies.

Tailored micro-extraction method for Raman/SERS detection of indigoids in ancient textiles.

Indigoid dyes are well known as vat dyes. In their oxidized dichetonic form they are stable and insoluble in water, whereas in their reduced form, commonly known as leuco, they are soluble in water and able to be attached to fabric for dyeing purposes. These blue dyes are usually easily detectable in art objects by means of Raman spectroscopy by adopting for analyses a laser line at a high wavelength, such as a 785 nm diode laser.

Multivariate Analysis of Combined Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Spectrometry (FT-NIR) and Raman Datasets for Improved Discrimination of Drying Oils.

This work explores the application of chemometric techniques to the analysis of lipidic paint binders (i.e., drying oils) by means of Raman and near-infrared spectroscopy.

Safranin-O dye in the ground state. A study by density functional theory, Raman, SERS and infrared spectroscopy.

The analysis of ground state structural and vibrational properties of Safranin-O is presented. The experimental results, obtained by FTIR, Raman and SERS spectroscopy, are discussed in comparison to the results of DFT calculations carried out at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. The calculated spectra reproduce quite satisfactorily the experimental data.

Alternative SERRS probes for the immunochemical localization of ovalbumin in paintings: an advanced mapping detection approach.

In the field of analytical chemistry, many scientific efforts have been devoted to develop experimental procedures for the characterization of organic substances present in heterogeneous artwork samples, due to their challenging identification. In particular, performances of immunochemical techniques have been recently investigated, optimizing ad hoc systems for the identification of proteins. Among all the different immunochemical approaches, the use of metal nanoparticles - for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection - remains one of the most powerful methods that has still not been explored enough for the analysis of artistic artefacts.

A remote scanning Raman spectrometer for in situ measurements of works of art.

In conservation science, one of the main concerns is to extract information from an artistic surface without damaging it. Raman spectroscopy has emerged in recent years as a reliable tool for the non-destructive analysis of a wide range of inorganic and organic materials in works of art and archaeological objects. Nevertheless, the technique is still mainly limited to the analysis of micro-samples taken from artistic surfaces.

Metal oxalates in paints: a Raman investigation on the relative reactivities of different pigments to oxalic acid solutions.

One degradation phenomenon that occurs in artworks is the formation of metal oxalates on their surfaces. In order to gain insight into the inclination of pigments to produce oxalates, nine pigments including Na, Ca, Fe, Pb and Cu cations were selected to react with oxalic acid solutions at different concentrations (1 M, 0.1 M, 0.

A new compact instrument for Raman, laser-induced breakdown, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of works of art and their constituent materials.

A small, potentially transportable prototype instrument capable of carrying out Raman, laser-induced breakdown (LIB), and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy using a single pulsed laser source was developed for the analysis of cultural heritage objects. The purpose of this instrumentation is to perform fast and reliable analysis of surfaces with minimum damage to an object. For this purpose, a compact (51 x 203 x 76 mm) nanosecond Q-switched neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser (8 ns, 20 Hz, 0.

Non-destructive and non-invasive analyses shed light on the realization technique of ancient polychrome prints.

Five polychrome prints representing famous painters, such as Albrecht Dürer, were analyzed using a non-destructive and non-invasive methodology as required by the artwork typology. The diagnostic strategy includes X-ray fluorescence (XRF), reflectance micro-infrared (microFTIR) and micro-Raman (microRaman) spectroscopy. These prints were realized with a la poupée method that involves application of the polychrome inks on a single copper plate, before the printing process.

The Raman spectrum of hematite: possible indicator for a compositional or firing distinction among Terra Sigillata wares.

The Raman spectrum of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) is here discussed as a distinctive feature for Terra Sigillata sample wares. The broadening of the Raman lines and the appearance and increasing of the disorder band at 660 cm(-1), while moving from the external slip to the inner body, are proposed as valuation parameters for the study of the mineralogical composition and firing process of pottery productions.