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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection of Biomolecules Using EBL Fabricated Nanostructured Substrates
Published on: March 20, 2015
Surface enhanced Raman evidence for Ag+ complexes of adenine, deoxyadenosine and 5'-dAMP formed in silver colloids
Evanthia Papadopoulou1, Steven E J Bell
1Innovative Molecular Materials Group, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Belfast, UK BT9 5AG.
Abstract:
We report the formation of highly scattering silver complexes of adenine, deoxyadenosine and 5'-dAMP under alkaline pH conditions in the colloidal silver solutions which are used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. These complexes, and other pH-dependent phenomena, help to explain the diversity of previously reported adenine SERS spectra. Using conditions which promote complex formation allows nucleotides to be detected at <1 ppm, even in solutions with high salt concentrations.
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