Flexible and mechanical strain resistant large area SERS active substrates.

We report a cost effective and facile way to synthesize flexible, uniform, and large area surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates using an oblique angle deposition (OAD) technique. The flexible SERS substrates consist of 1 μm long, tilted silver nanocolumnar films deposited on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets using OAD. The SERS enhancement activity of these flexible substrates was determined using 10(-5) M trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl) ethylene (BPE) Raman probe molecules.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of melamine by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using silver nanorod array substrates.

Silver nanorod (AgNR) array substrates are investigated to detect pure melamine dissolved in 50% methanol using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). We find that sample preparation conditions have a great influence on melamine detection. When the samples are prepared under a nitrogen glove box, the SERS characteristic peak intensities of melamine at Deltanu = 497 cm(-1), 704 cm(-1), and 983 cm(-1) are studied as functions of melamine concentration and/or the mass of melamine.

Silver nanorod arrays as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate for foodborne pathogenic bacteria detection.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using novel silver nanorod array substrates has been used for the detection of pathogenic bacteria. The substrate consists of a base layer of 500 nm silver film on a glass slide and a layer of silver nanorod array with a length of approximately 1 microm produced by the oblique angle deposition method at a vapor incident angle of 86 degrees . Spectra from whole cell bacteria, Generic Escherichia coli, E.

A high sensitive fiber SERS probe based on silver nanorod arrays.

A portable fiber SERS probe has been developed based on Ag nanorod array fabricated by oblique angle deposition. The incoming laser beam was designed to focus onto the Raman substrate at 45 degrees incident angle in order to maximize surface enhanced Raman scattering signal. With a fiber Raman system, a detection sensitivity of 10(-17) moles for trans-1, 2- bis(4-pyridyl)ethane molecules has been demonstrated.