2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Putting the “Light” in Electrolytes: Raman Spectroscopy of Liquids

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Corey Efaw

Abstract

Raman spectroscopy is a characterization technique that provides a “molecular fingerprint” of materials. This is done by shining monochromatic light (i.e., a laser) onto a material and detecting changes in that laser’s wavelength that corresponds to inelastic vibrations that are specific to a molecule’s bonding structure. With the addition of a cuvette holding microscope lens, Raman was utilized to examine a variety of charge-carrying liquids, otherwise known as electrolytes, to better understand how ions are solvated in a solvent when we vary the mixture. This behavior has implications in (1) how to control the corrosion rate of metals so that we can “see” the corrosion progress more easily, (2) expanding the stability of aqueous electrolytes used in batteries, and (3) understand how complex non-aqueous electrolytes interact with a charged surface. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe these molecular interactions and allow us to see the complexity of liquids.

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