Optimising Raman spectroscopy for characterising biological growths on stone artefacts

In this work an innovative approach for the characterization of biological growths on stone artifacts by means Raman spectroscopy is presented. In particular, a novel Raman probe (excitation wavelength 1064 nm) for performing temperature-controlled measurements was developed and tested on lichens preventing thermal alterations effects as well as speeding up the identification of the species. The possibility to use portable Raman for identifying in situ different organisms was demonstrated for the first time.