Nanotechnology improves molecule-identifying spectroscopy

SERS is a sensing technique lauded for its ability to identify chemical and biological molecules in a range of fields. It has been commercialised but the materials required to perform the sensing are consumed upon use, making the technique relatively expensive and corresponding systems complicated to fabricate.

“The technology we’re developing - a universal substrate for SERS - is a unique and, potentially, revolutionary feature. It allows us to rapidly identify and measure chemical and biological molecules using a broadband nanostructure that traps wide range of light,” said Qiaoqiang Gan, UB assistant professor of electrical engineering and lead author of a paper on the study that is published in Advanced Materials Interfaces.

Additional authors of the study are: UB PhD candidates in electrical engineering Nan Zhang, Kai Liu, Haomin Song, Xie Zeng, Dengxin Ji and Alec Cheney; and Suhua Jiang, associate professor of materials science, and Zhejun Liu, PhD candidate, both at Fudan University in China.