A Raman Spectroscopy System for (Bio)Chemical Analyses and Materials Characterization

拉曼光谱是一种分析方法，使化学和生物样品的时间效率和超灵敏的物理化学特性。它可以将高度敏感（尽管是集中和复杂的）设备的优点与便携但不太敏感的设备的用户友好性结合起来。拉曼光谱的一种模式，“表面增强拉曼散射”（SERS），是一种特别强大的技术，可以产生高达10^14倍的信号增强，从而达到单分子检测能力。Docoslis的研究实验室和共同申请者在努力创造创新产品、发现新发现、培养高素质人才（HQP）以及领导与行业和政府的多项合作中严重依赖拉曼光谱的使用。由于我们的拉曼光谱设备出现故障，急需更换，我们团队开创的许多研究项目目前都处于危险之中。至少有16个hqp的工作，5个正在进行的研究项目和4个与政府和工业界建立的合作项目受到拉曼光谱系统的威胁，该系统已经使用了16年，远远超过了其使用寿命（使用时间为20万小时），并且由于其状况不佳而无法升级。该系统的频繁故障（仅在2022年就有超过4个月的停机时间）已经对我们的研究效率造成了影响。即使在运行时，系统也表现不佳，因为它已经失去了我们正确执行工作所依赖的大部分功能。新的拉曼系统将支持女王大学至少六个研究实验室，作为女王大学内外与政府/行业和其他学术研究人员现有和未来跨学科合作的支柱。目前有四个现有的研究项目依赖于该系统。方案1使用SERS开发快速检测和识别非法药物的方法。这些方法将用于减少吸毒者的伤害，或由加拿大的执法机构和惩教服务机构用于打击与毒品有关的犯罪。项目二旨在开发基于sers的技术，用于早期识别抗生素耐药菌，从而通过指导正确使用抗生素治疗感染来挽救人类生命。方案三旨在开发基于拉曼的方法，对环境中出现的新关注化学品进行现场监测，并保护人们免受意外接触。最后，项目4使用拉曼光谱来研究和表征基于石墨烯的产品，以指导我们开发创新和可扩展的生产工艺。它还将有助于创造用于耐用涂料、智能材料和柔性电子产品的新型石墨烯-聚合物复合材料。我们预计，在未来5年内，我们集团内大约42名HQP和许多外部用户将接受使用这种新的拉曼光谱系统的培训。

Raman spectroscopy is an analytical method that enables time-efficient and ultrasensitive physicochemical characterization of chemical and biological samples. It can combine the benefits of highly sensitive, albeit centralized and complex, equipment with the user-friendliness of portable but less sensitive units. One mode of Raman spectroscopy, "Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering" (SERS), is an especially powerful technique that can produce up to a 10^14-fold signal enhancement, thus reaching single-molecule detection capabilities. The research labs of Docoslis and co-applicants rely heavily on the use of Raman spectroscopy in their efforts to create innovative products, make discoveries, train highly qualified personnel (HQP), and lead multiple collaborations with industry and government. Numerous research programs pioneered by our groups are presently in jeopardy because of our failing Raman spectroscopy equipment, which urgently needs replacement. The work of at least 16 HQPs, 5 ongoing research projects and 4 established collaborations with government and industry are threatened to be "in irons" by a Raman spectroscopy system that is 16 years old, well past its service life (> 20,000 hours of use), and not upgradeable due to its poor condition. The frequent breakdowns of that system (over 4 months of downtime in 2022 alone) have already taken a toll on our research productivity. Even when operational, the system underperforms, as it has lost most of the functions that we rely on for properly performing our work. The new Raman system will support at least six research labs at Queen's University, serving as the mainstay for existing and future cross-disciplinary collaborations with government/industry and other academic researchers within and outside Queen's. Four existing research Programs presently rely on that system. Program 1 uses SERS to develop methods for rapid detection and identification of illicit drugs. These methods will be used for harm reduction in people who use drugs, or by Law enforcement agencies and Correctional Services of Canada to fight drug-related crime. Program 2 aims to develop SERS-based techniques for early identification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, thereby saving human lives by guiding the correct prescription of antibiotics against infections. Program 3 aims to develop Raman-based methods for on-site monitoring of Chemicals of Emerging Concern in the environment and protect people from being accidentally exposed to them. Finally, Program 4 uses Raman spectroscopy for studying and characterizing graphene-based products, to guide us in the development of innovative and scalable processes for their production. It will also assist in the creation of novel graphene-polymer composites for durable coatings, smart materials, and flexible electronics. We expect that, over the next 5 years, approximately 42 HQP within our groups and many external users will be trained in the use of this new Raman Spectroscopy system.