Investigation of microstructured chitosans by coherent anti-Stokes Raman microscopy

This work describes application of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy technique for analytical characterization of microstructured materials based on chitosan. We demonstrate that nitrogen-hydrogen vibration band in the high wavenumber region of CARS spectrum prevails over response from oxygen-hydrogen vibrations and can be used as a spectral marker of chitosan. The chemically selective imaging is experimentally demonstrated by applying CARS microscopy to discriminate between chitosan and polystyrene microparticles. CARS microscopy was shown to be a valuable tool for characterization of polluted chitosan fibre from utilized engine filter material. A possibility to observe foreign material pieces on the surface of the polluted chitosan fibre is demonstrated and discussed.