CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Raman Spectroscopy and Microscopy
Technical Work Area 42
Project 06

Protocols for Raman instrument calibration and harmonisation ofRaman data
Objectives
Creating more accurate x- and y-axes
calibrations of Raman spectra
Facilitating the correction of each
instrument based on their resolution
across the whole range
Correcting the intensity for quantum
efficiency-based intensity
discrepancies
Correlating different Raman
instruments to obtain quantitatively
equivalent Raman spectra in terms ofintensity.

Background
The EU-funded CHARISMA project (GA No:952921) has initiated the project "Protocols
for Raman instrument calibration andharmonisation of Raman data" under theVAMAS Technical Work Area (TWA) 42. This
project is part of the broader CHARISMA
initiative, which aims to address the growing
need for standardised protocols in Raman
spectroscopy due to the rapid expansion anddiversification of Raman instruments. The
primary focus lies on establishing clear
procedures for calibrating Raman
instruments, verifying spectral resolution, andharmonising data to improve reliability and to
facilitate inter-instrument comparability.

Measurement methods
Specific protocols involve selecting fivedifferent laser powers from 5% to 100%,
optimising sample orientation by rotating
silicon and calcite to maximize peakintensity, and fine-tuning the Raman

focus to achieve high signal-to-noise ratios
and accurate intensity corrections. Bothpoint and map measurements are
employed to deliver comprehensive data.

Standardisation needs
The demand for standardisation of Raman
spectroscopy stems from the broad
expansion in the number and type ofRaman instruments and applications. This
project seeks to update and interconnect
existing calibration guides and referencematerials (Ntziouni et al., Review of ExistingStandards, Guides, and Practices for Raman
Spectroscopy. Appl. Spectrosc., 2022),
thereby facilitating consistent dataexchange and reducing deviations caused
by varying calibration practices acrossdifferent Raman instruments.

Work Programme

Fig. 1 . Proposed protocol for Raman data harmonisation

through CHARISMA project’s social media
and stakeholder network. The results will be
published in a peer-reviewed scientificjournal acknowledging the participants withco-authorship of those that contribute withdata analysis and manuscript writing.
The results will be used to improve theprotocols under study and update two related
CWAs, with the final aim of proposing theirfurther standardisation.

ELODIZ and CSIC will prepare referencematerials and provide them to participants
along with detailed protocols for Raman
spectrum measurement and data reporting.
Participants will follow these standardized
protocols to collect data, which will then becompiled, processed, and analysed by IDEA,
LBF, ELODIZ, and CSIC. The final analysis willvalidate the calibration and harmonisation
protocols, ensuring consistent Raman spectra
across different instruments.

International Participation

Deliverables and Dissemination

The project is due to start on 15
September 2024 and finish byDecember 2024.

The interlaboratory study will be disseminatedat scientific conferences (e.g., ICORS) andCurrent participation includes
organisations from countries from EU,US, UK, Canada, Brazil and Japan.
Additional participants are welcome to join.

Funding
Participants fund their own involvement inthe project. The samples will be provided.

For more information:
Dr. Raquel Portela
Project leader
CSIC, Spainraquel.portela@csic.esDr. Enrique Lozano Diz
ELODIZ, UK
enriquel@elodiz.com
Prof. Dr. Miguel A. Bañares
CSIC, Spain
miguel.banares@csic.es
Dr. Erlon Henrique Martins Ferreira, Dr.
Chair, VAMAS TWA 42
Inmetro, Brazil
ehferreira@inmetro.gov.br
www.vamas.org

Project Status

August 2024

Registration link
https://shorturl.at/J7SH1