Initial Publication Date: May 10, 2021

Customized Confocal Raman Microscope at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University- Bozeman

Montana State University-Bozeman

https://biofilm.montana.edu/index.html

Contact Information

Heidi Smith

(406) 994-4770

heidi.smith@montana.edu

Bozeman

Instrument Type

Horiba LabRam Evolution

Raman Spectroscopy
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope

Application:

Raman is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and molecular interactions of a sample. The Horiba LabRam HR Evolution NIR is dedicated to studying the molecular composition of a sample. This is a fully integrated high resolution Raman microscope for confocal Raman analysis, optimized for the visible to IR range (400nm-2500nm) microscope. It includes a confocal Raman microscope with an automated xyz-stage with fast-mapping capabilities, transfer optics, stigmatic spectrometer equipped with two gratings (600 and 1800 l/mm gratings), multichannel air-cooled CCD detector, and computer package with the latest version of the LabSpec6 software and the KnowItAll Raman spectra library. This technique has been used to studying the metabolic activity of single microbial cells as well as health/disease state. This system is equipped with a 500mW 532nm laser, a 100mW 785nm laser, ultra-low frequency filters for stokes and anti-stokes measurements, an air-cooled open electrode CCD, a deep-cooled back-illuminated EMCCD multichannel detector, 300 and 1800 gr/mm grating, an automated xyz-stage with fast-mapping capabilities, filter sets for FITC, CY3, DAPI, and Cy5, and a CaptuR laser trapping (1,500mW, 1,064nm) system (=optical tweezer).

Typical Use:

These instruments are used to collect images of in situ biofilms via optical microscopy, fluorescent and Raman confocal microscopy. Serial imaging allows 3D representations of biofilms to be obtained, and dynamic experiments of bacterial growth can be done using specialized growth chambers. It can be used for:

Imaging (size, shape, morphology)
Textural relations (intergrowths, overgrowths, epitaxial...)

Conditions for Use:

General use areas include an analytical instrument lab, a microbiology lab with media preparation area and autoclaves, and a general molecular area with two thermocyclers, a gel running and imaging station, and spectrophotometers for nucleic acid quantification, as well as an isolated radioactive isotope lab. See below for a comprehensive list of shared equipment available.