Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of organic molecules adsorbed on metallic nanoparticles

The improvements in Raman instrumentation have led to the development of -portable, simple to operate, Raman instruments that can be used for on-site analysis of substances relevant for homeland security purposes such as chemical and biological warfare and explosives materials.Raman spectroscopy, however, suffers from limited sensitivity which can be overcome by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). SERS can enhance the Raman signal of a target molecule by 6-10 orders of magnitude. The increased sensitivity, together with Raman's molecular recognition capabilities and the availability of portable Raman instruments make SERS a powerful analytical tool for on site detection.In this work we studied the effect of target molecules and SERS-active substrate properties on the obtained SERS, using a field portable Raman spectrometer. Also reported herein is the SERS detection of the chemical warfare agent sulfur mustard (HD, 2,2 dichloroethyl sulfide). This study may serve as a basis for the development of SERS platform for homeland security purposes.