Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Commercial SERS Substrates"

Over the past 40 years fundamental and application research into Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) has been explored by academia, industry, and government laboratories. To date however, SERS has achieved little commercial success as an analytical technique. Researchers are tackling a variety of paths to help break through the commercial barrier by addressing the reproducibility in both the SERS substrates and SERS signals as well as continuing to explore the underlying mechanisms. To this end, investigators use a variety of methodologies, typically studying strongly binding analytes such as aromatic thiols and azarenes, and report SERS enhancement factor calculations. However a drawback of the traditional SERS enhancement factor calculation is that it does not yield enough information to understand substrate reproducibility, application potential with another analyte, or the driving factors behind the molecule–metal interaction. Our work at the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center has focused on these questions and we have shown that thermodynamic principles play a key role in the SERS response and are an essential factor in future designs of substrates and applications. This work will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various experimental techniques used to report SERS enhancement with planar SERS substrates and present our alternative SERS enhancement value. We will report on three types of analysis scenarios that all yield different information concerning the effectiveness of the SERS substrate, practical application of the substrate, and finally the thermodynamic properties of the substrate. We believe that through this work a greater understanding for designing substrates will be achieved, one that is based on both thermodynamic and plasmonic properties as opposed to just plasmonic properties. This new understanding and potential change in substrate design will enable more applications for SERS based methodologies including targeting molecules that are traditionally not easily detected with SERS due to the perceived weak molecule–metal interaction of substrates.

The first observation of ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman scattering (UV-SERS) was 20 years ago, yet the field has seen a slower development pace than its visible and near-infrared counterparts. UV excitation for SERS offers many potential advantages. These advantages include increased scattering intensity, higher spatial resolution, resonance Raman enhancement from organic, biological, and semiconductor analytes, probing UV photoluminescence, and mitigating visible photoluminescence from analytes or substrates. One of the main challenges is the lack of readily accessible, effective, and reproducible UV-SERS substrates, with few commercial sources available. In this review, we evaluate the reported UV-SERS substrates in terms of their elemental composition, substrate morphology, and performance. We assess the best-performing substrates with regard to their enhancement factors and limits of detection in both the ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet regions. Even though aluminum nanostructures were the most reported and best-performing substrates, we also highlighted some unique UV-SERS composition and morphology substrate combinations. We address the challenges and potential opportunities in the field of UV-SERS, especially in relation to the development of commercially available, cost-effective substrates. Lastly, we discuss potential application areas for UV-SERS, including cost-effective detection of environmentally and militarily relevant analytes, in situ and operando experimentation, defect engineering, development of materials for extreme environments, and biosensing.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology is an attractive method for the prompt and accurate on-site screening of illicit drugs. As portable Raman systems are available for on-site screening, the readiness of SERS technology for sensing applications is predominantly dependent on the accuracy, stability and cost-effectiveness of the SERS strip. An atmospheric-pressure plasma-assisted chemical deposition process that can deposit an even distribution of nanogold particles in a one-step process has been developed. The process was used to print a nanogold film on a paper-based substrate using a HAuCl4 solution precursor. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrates that the gold has been fully reduced and that subsequent plasma post-treatment decreases the carbon content of the film. Results for cocaine detection using this substrate were compared with two commercial SERS substrates, one based on nanogold on paper and the currently available best commercial SERS substrate based on an Ag pillar structure. A larger number of bands associated with cocaine was detected using the plasma-printed substrate than the commercial substrates across a range of cocaine concentrations from 1 to 5000 ng/mL. A detection limit as low as 1 ng/mL cocaine with high spatial uniformity was demonstrated with the plasma-printed substrate. It is shown that the plasma-printed substrate can be produced at a much lower cost than the price of the commercial substrate.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful technique for obtaining structural information of molecules in solution at low concentrations. While commercial SERS substrates are available, high costs prevent their wide-spread use in the medical field. One solution is to prepare requisite noble metal nanostructures exploiting natural nanostructures. As an example of biomimetic approaches, butterfly wing scales with their intricate nanostructures have been found to exhibit exquisite SERS activity when coated with silver. Selecting appropriate scales from particular butterfly species and depositing silver of certain thicknesses leads to significant SERS activity. For morphological observations we used scanning electron microscopes as well as a helium ion microscope, highly suitable for morphological characterization of poorly conducting samples. In this paper, we describe a protocol for carrying out SERS measurements based on butterfly wing scales and demonstrate its LOD with a common Raman reporter, rhodamine 6 G. We also emphasize what special care is necessary in such measurements. We also try to shed light on what makes scales work as SERS substrates by carefully modifying the original nanostructures. Such a study allows us to either use scales directly as a raw material for SERS substrate or provides an insight as to what nanostructures need to be recreated for synthetic SERS substrates.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has advanced over the last four decades and has become an attractive tool for highly sensitive analysis in fields such as medicine and environmental monitoring. Recently, there has been an urgent demand for reusable and long-lived SERS substrates as a means of reducing the costs associated with this technique To this end, we fabricated a SERS substrate comprising a silicon nanowire array coated with silver nanoparticles, using metal-assisted chemical etching followed by photonic reduction. The morphology and growth mechanism of the SERS substrate were carefully examined and the performance of the fabricated SERS substrate was tested using rhodamine 6G and dopamine hydrochloride. The data show that this new substrate provides an enhancement factor of nearly 1 × 108. This work demonstrates that a silicon nanowire array coated with silver nanoparticles is sensitive and sufficiently robust to allow repeated reuse. These results suggest that this newly developed technique could allow SERS to be used in many commercial applications.

In this paper, a superhydrophobic Ag–Cu composite metal film was fabricated as surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate. Ag–Cu composite metal film was prepared from galvanic displacement on commercial copper foil. The prepared silver films were modified by PFDT to create a stable superhydrophobic SERS platform. Superhydrophobic substrates were characterized by a variety of characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis, XPS and Raman spectra. The superhydrophobic substrate could enrich probing molecules with the volatilization of solvent. Mathematical model was presented and applied to investigate concentration factor of hydrophobic substrate. The measurements were in good agreement with the calculation results. The superhydrophobic Ag–Cu composite metal film can reduce the detection limits and provide a new way to prepare efficient SERS substrates for ultra-low concentration detection.

Silicon inverted pyramids have been shown to exhibit superior SERS properties compared to ortho-pyramids, yet low-cost, simple preparation processes are lacking at present. This study demonstrates a simple method, silver-assisted chemical etching combined with PVP, to construct silicon inverted pyramids with a uniform size distribution. Two types of Si substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) were prepared via silver nanoparticles deposited on the silicon inverted pyramids by electroless deposition and radiofrequency sputtering, respectively. The experiments were conducted using rhodamine 6G (R6G), methylene blue (MB) and amoxicillin (AMX) molecules to test the SERS properties of the Si substrates with inverted pyramids. The results indicate that the SERS substrates show high sensitivity to detect the above molecules. In particular, the sensitivity and reproducibility of the SERS substrates with a denser silver nanoparticle distribution, prepared by radiofrequency sputtering, are significantly higher than those of the electroless deposited substrates to detect R6G molecules. This study sheds light on a potential low-cost and stable method for preparing silicon inverted pyramids, which is expected to replace the costly commercial Klarite SERS substrates.

Au cours des dernières décennies, l'utilisation des produits phytosanitaires communément appelés pesticides a augmenté. Ces substances sont devenues de plus en plus présentes dans notre environnement, s’'accumulant ainsi dans les sols, l'air et les eaux. Ces produits, même en très faible concentration, représentent un danger pour la santé humaine, végétale et animale. Pour toutes ces raisons il est important d'encadrer l'utilisation des produits phytosanitaires en interdisant l'utilisation de certaines de ces substances et en mettant en place des réglementations pour fixer les Limites Maximales de Résidus (LMR). Il est aussi nécessaire de développer de nouvelles méthodes de détection et d’identification de polluants à l'état de trace car les techniques conventionnelles nécessitent de gros équipements de laboratoire qui ne sont pas compatibles avec des analyses sur site.Dans le cadre de nos travaux, nous utilisons la Diffusion Raman Exaltée de Surface (DRES) pour détecter et identifier des molécules à l’'état de trace. Nous avons étudié et analysé les performances de trois substrats DRES commerciaux (Hamamatsu, SERSitive et Ocean Insight) pour la détection et l'identification d'une molécule modèle à des concentrations de l'ordre de 10-6 M et 10-8 M. Nous avons comparé les réponses Raman à partir des cartographies enregistrées sur leurs surfaces à deux longueurs d’onde incidentes. Nous avons également développé et optimisé des supports métalliques nanorugueux capables de détecter et identifier des molécules avec une limite de détection à 10-9 M. Nous présenterons le protocole expérimental utilisé pour fabriquer ces substrats nanorugueux en or. Ensuite, nous avons étudié les propriétés topographiques des surfaces pour mieux comprendre les propriétés d'exaltation des substrats. Ces derniers sont analysés par microscopie électronique à balayage et par microscopie à force atomique (AFM). Les réponses optiques des supports nanorugueux sont étudiées en champ proche par photoémission d’électrons (PEEM) et en champ lointain par spectrométrie Raman une fois ces supports mis en contact avec des solutions contenant des molécules à très faibles concentrations. Nous avons comparé la réponse spectrale, les distributions d'intensité, et la stabilité sous faisceau laser, des substrats nanorugueux en or et le substrat le plus efficace parmi les trois substrats DRES commerciaux en analysant les spectres Raman à une concentration de 10-8 M.La stabilité de la réponse Raman des substrats DRES commerciaux et du substrat nanorugueux optimisé a été étudiée dans le temps, pendant une durée de plusieurs mois. Avec le temps, l'efficacité des substrats diminue et il n'est alors plus possible de détecter la présence des molécules. Nous avons développé une méthode qui permet d'améliorer les performances Raman de ces substrats vieillis. Les performances de ces substrats améliorés ont été étudiées en analysant les distributions d'intensité Raman à partir d'imagerie contenant plusieurs centaines de spectres. Nous avons utilisé les substrats nanorugueux en or pour détecter les molécules présentes dans un mélange binaire de molécules modèles à une concentration de 10-8 M. Nous avons analysé les cartographies Raman en utilisant des outils chimiométriques, à savoir l’'Analyses en Composantes Principales (ACP), et la Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR)
In recent decades, the use of phytosanitary products commonly called pesticides has increased. These substances have become increasingly present in our environment, accumulating in soil, air and water. Even at very low concentration these products represent a danger to human, plant and animal health. For all these reasons it is important to regulate the use of phytosanitary products by prohibiting the use of certain of these substances and by strengthening regulations to set Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) as low as possible. It is also necessary to develop new methods for detecting and identifying trace pollutants because conventional techniques require large laboratory capabilities which are not compatible with on-site analyses.In my PhD. work, we have used Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) to detect and identify trace molecules. We studied and analyzed the performance of three commercial DRES substrates (Hamamatsu, SERSitive and Ocean Insight) for the detection and identification of a model molecule at concentrations of the order of 10-6 M and 10-8 M. We compared the Raman responses from the Raman maps recorded on their surfaces at two incident wavelengths. We have also developed and optimized efficient nanorough metallic substrates to detect and identify molecules with a detection limit of 10-9 M. We will present the experimental protocol used to fabricate our nanorough gold substrates. The topographical properties of the surfaces were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to better understand the reason of SERS properties of the substrates. The optical responses of our nanorough substrates were studied in the near field by electron photoemission (PEEM) and in the far field by Raman spectrometry after putting them in contact with solutions containing molecules at very low concentrations. We compared the spectral response, intensity distributions, and stability under laser beam, of gold nanorough substrates and the most efficient substrate among the three commercial DRES substrates by analyzing the Raman spectra at a concentration of 10-8 M.The stability of the Raman response of the commercial SERS substrates and our optimized nanorough substrates was studied over time, for a period of several months. The effectiveness of the substrates decreases over time and it is no longer possible to detect the presence of the molecules after several months. In my PhD work we have tested a method that makes it possible to improve the Raman performance of these aged substrates. The performance of these improved substrates was studied by analyzing Raman intensity distributions from imaging containing several hundred spectra. Finally, we used the gold nanorough substrates to detect molecules present in a binary mixture of model molecules at a concentration of 10-8 M. We analyzed the Raman maps using chemometric tools, namely Component Analysis. Principal (ACP), and Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR)

Abstract In this study, high pressure cold spray (HPCS) process was used to metallize the surface of polymeric substrates to improve their mechanical performance, such as erosion, wear, and strength. Thermoplastic polymer materials (PEEK, PEI, and ABS) were used as substrate. Commercially pure (CP) Al and 7075 Al were cold sprayed onto the polymeric substrates. Good quality defect-free coatings were achieved in all combinations except with ABS substrates, which suffered from distortion during CS process due to stored thermal energy. 7075Al coatings showed high adhesion strength but low thickness (low deposition efficiency (DE)), whereas CP Al coatings revealed high thickness (high DE) but poor adhesion strength. Based on the obtained results, the DE and bonding strength are not only highly sensitive to properties of the substrate, but also to the applied process parameters as well as powder morphology. It is concluded that two separate sets of spray parameters should be applied for 7075 Al and CP Al deposition otherwise, either more damage or less bonding is achieved to the substrate. Also, for each one of these powders, the first layer of metal/polymer should be deposited with a separate recipe than the subsequent metal/metal layers. Coefficient of thermal expansion and hardness difference between the coating material and the substrate were also found to be key factors to developing continuous coatings on the polymeric substrates with the HPCS process.

Ensuring food safety in various steps along the entire food value chain is crucial to prevent undesired and harmful substances entering the food humans consume. Pesticides and antifungal agents used during growth, processing or along the logistic chain from the field to the consumer can be toxic causing a range of symptoms from stomach pain to the death of the consumer even at trace levels of concentrations. To prevent dangerous additives and contaminants entering the food chain governmental restrictions on a large number of hazardous components have been put into place and are tightly monitored. For a large number of tests complex and sophisticated equipment is required along with time consuming sample preparation steps, not permitting instantaneous sampling of the specimen at the point of measurement or in a timely manner. In order to become a commercially applicable technique, the complexity of the sample preparation and the analysis routine needs to be simplified without losing performance in terms of identification and quantification of the dangerous contaminants. Raman spectroscopy is a technology to allow for quick and rigid analysis of materials without a large amount of sample preparation. The use of surface enhancement of the Raman signal by means of gold or silver nanoparticles would allow for taking this measurement to the field with high accuracy for even small concentrations. The high cost and poor reproducibility of commercially available substrates has so far limited the successful application of SERS measurements along the food value chain. The use of an affordable handheld Raman instrument with mass-producible SERS substrates will be described in the frame of the contribution with respect to requirements imposed at various stages along the food value chain.

Abstract Thermal spray WC-NiCr coatings generally requires grinding processing to meet the surface finish requirements. The cost associated with grinding can potentially be reduced through the deposition of finer (– 30 + 5 μm) feedstock rather than the more conventional commercial (– 45 + 15 or – 53 + 20 μm) feedstock. Additionally, such a fine powder is likely to require lower energy spray parameters, resulting in less heat input to the substrate, which could be beneficial in application on heat sensitive substrates. However, the spray parameters need to be optimised to mitigate increased degradation of coatings due to unacceptable brittleness caused by decarburisation and oxidation, and to produce defect-free dense coatings. In the present work, a theoretical model to optimise spray parameters was developed, which suggested an oxygen-to-fuel ratio slightly more than 3.3 and a shorter barrel to avoid decarburisation in coatings. In total four parameter sets suggested by the theoretical model were selected to spray the fine-cut powder using a 100 mm long barrel. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, microhardness, and 3Dprofilometer were used to analyse the produced coatings. The coatings deposited using optimised parameters exhibited the best performance in terms of low porosity, inter-splat cracks, brittleness, and roughness. Coating deposited at lower kerosine and oxygen flow rates, with reduced stand-off distance, was denser, crack-free, and ductile. Hence, the fine-cut powder can be used to produce a finer as-sprayed finish, thereby demonstrating the potential in reducing grinding efforts. Additionally, successful deposition of coatings using low energy parameters, making this an attractive option for thermally sensitive substrates.