Effects of Particle Size and Laser-Induced Heating on the Raman Spectra of Alpha Quartz Grains

Raman spectra of α-quartz (Qz) grains of various size (250 μm to <11 μm) and arrangement (individual and aggregated) have been investigated with a combination of confocal Raman and micro-Raman systems. Frequency downshift and line broadening of the 464 cm⁻¹, v_s(Si–O–Si) band are observed in the smallest size group (<11 μm, both individual grains and aggregates) because of laser-induced heating and are used to estimate the temperature of the sampled region. The intensity ratio of the anti-Stokes to Stokes Raman lines is also used to estimate the vibrational temperature of the samples under different excitation power. The degree of laser-induced heating is more noticeable in the aggregates than in the individual grains with the use of medium-level laser excitation (≤150 mW). Heating diminishes with increasing grain size, and it can only be detected in grain aggregates between 11 and 20 μm in diameter using 150 mW excitation. Intensity studies of the v_s(Si–O–Si) band using individual grains show no noticeable signs of grain size effects. However, grain size effects become an important factor in the study of aggregates in which spectral intensity diminishes with respect to decreasing grain size.