Portable Spectroscopy Reveals Paint History of Prince Kung’s Palace
A comprehensive pigment survey of Prince Kung’s Palace in Beijing has traced the layered history of its decorative patterns, identifying both ancient and modern materials using portable Raman spectroscopy and handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The nondestructive analysis uncovered a rich palette of mineral, synthetic, and plant-based pigments across eight key sites in the palace complex, including cinnabar, azurite, orpiment, ultramarine blue, emerald green, and phthalocyanine pigments.
Notably, the presence of synthetic pigments like titanium white and Hansa red indicates post-20th century restorations, while older materials such as lead white and azurite suggest original Qing Dynasty craftsmanship dating back to the late 18th century. The researchers also identified degradation products like lead sulfate and gypsum, offering insight into pigment aging processes. These results not only help date specific restoration phases but also support future conservation work by mapping the evolving pigment use through time.
In-Vivo Raman Detects Early Cervical Changes in Pregnancy
Researchers have demonstrated that in vivo Raman spectroscopy can identify early biochemical remodeling in the human cervix just weeks after conception. By measuring cervical tissue before and after intrauterine insemination (IUI), the study revealed increased blood signal, decreased actin, and reduced trivalent collagen cross-linking in patients who became pregnant, compared to their pre-pregnancy baseline.
Measurements were conducted using a portable Raman probe in patients undergoing fertility treatments, allowing for direct comparison within the same menstrual cycle. Analysis focused on the fingerprint region of the Raman spectrum (~980–1700 cm⁻¹), where changes in vascularity and extracellular matrix proteins were most evident.
“These results suggest that the first steps of cervical remodeling include an increase in vasculature and a decrease in cervical stiffness,” the authors write. The method may provide a minimally invasive tool for tracking cervical changes across pregnancy and exploring early predictors of obstetric outcomes
Miniature On-Chip Spectrometer Enables Scalable Raman Analysis
Researchers have developed a compact, chip-integrated Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) that enables high-resolution Raman spectroscopy in a footprint smaller than a postage stamp. Fabricated on a 200 mm silicon nitride wafer, the device features 160 waveguide apertures and achieves 0.5 nm resolution over a 40 nm spectral range, enabling identification of pharmaceuticals and chemicals such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, glucose, and isopropyl alcohol.
Raman signals – typically weak and scattered – pose challenges for miniaturization, but the new waveguide-based FTS design offers improved optical throughput and enhanced spectral reconstruction using LASSO regression, which outperformed conventional inverse methods. The team demonstrated strong agreement with standard spectrometers, achieving Pearson correlation coefficients as high as 0.95 for paracetamol.
“This work represents one of the first demonstrations of an integrated photonics chip spectrometer for Raman spectroscopy,” the authors wrote. With further optimization, including increased input apertures and on-chip laser integration, the technology could power future wearable biomarker sensors, portable diagnostics, and compact space instruments.
Vibrational Crosstalk Makes Carbyne a Standout Nanoscale Sensor
Carbyne – a linear chain of carbon atoms – encased in double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) exhibits unexpected vibrational behavior, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Using resonance Raman spectroscopy and advanced machine learning-assisted simulations, researchers demonstrated that even though carbyne and the host nanotube are electronically isolated, their vibrational states are strongly coupled through anharmonic phonon–phonon interactions.
These findings mark confined carbyne as an archetypical model system for studying one-dimensional vibrational dynamics and quantum mechanical effects in hybrid nanostructures. The team used a stochastic self-consistent harmonic approximation (SSCHA) to simulate the anharmonic vibrational modes, which reproduced experimental Raman features, including satellite peaks arising from carbyne–nanotube coupling.
"The sensitivity of carbyne to external influences is crucial for its potential application in future materials and devices as a contactless optical sensor on the nanoscale, for example as a local temperature sensor for heat transport measurements,” said Thomas Pichler, senior author of the study from the University of Vienna.
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