STTR Phase I: Novel Nanostructured Substrates for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

这个小型企业技术转移第一阶段项目将开发一种新型纳米结构衬底，用于使用表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS）进行砷化物检测。砷是一种众所周知的有毒化学物质，存在于自然界和工业生产过程中，对其极低浓度的检测和监测是迫切需要的。SERS依赖于与贵金属纳米结构密切接触的分子的拉曼信号增强，可以为包括砷在内的生物和化学材料的检测和鉴定提供必要的信息。然而，它的应用主要是由于缺乏能够以高性能和可重复的方式制造的SERS基板而受到阻碍。本研究旨在通过设计、制造和测试一种新型纳米结构贵金属衬底来开发SERS衬底，从而解决这一问题。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是高性能和低成本的SERS基板，可用于监测饮用水中的化学毒素，如砷和氰化物。此外，大范围的sers相关技术将受益于等离子体纳米结构的改进设计和制造工艺的发展。该项目的成功将促进可靠的SERS基板的大规模生产，用于国防、医疗诊断、环境监测、药物开发、法医和分析化学。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop a new type of nanostructured substrate for applications in arsenide detection using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Arsenic is a well known toxic chemical which exists in both nature and industrial processes, and its detection and monitoring at very low concentration is highly desired. SERS, which relies on Raman signal enhancements for molecules in close contact with noble metal nanostructures, can provide essential information for detection and identification of biological and chemical materials including arsenic. However, its application has been obstructed primarily by the lack of SERS substrates that can be fabricated with high performance and in a repeatable fashion. The proposed research aims to resolve this issue by developing SERS substrates through designing, fabricating, and testing a new nanostructured noble metal substrate.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be high-performance and low-cost SERS substrates that can be employed for monitoring drinking water for chemical toxins such as arsenic and cyanide. Additionally, a large range of SERS-related technologies will benefit from the development of improved design and fabrication processes for plasmonic nanostructures. Success of the project will facilitate large-scale manufacturing of reliable SERS substrates for applications in defense, medical diagnostics, environment monitoring, drug development, forensics and analytical chemistry.