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Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection of Biomolecules Using EBL Fabricated Nanostructured Substrates
Published on: March 20, 2015
Surface potential and morphology mapping to investigate analyte adsorption effects on surface enhanced Raman
Abhijit Chatterjee1, David J G Gale, Dmytro Grebennikov
1Department of Chemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1B3X7, Canada. erika@mun.ca.
Abstract:
We demonstrate the power of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) in enabling a comprehensive study of enhancement mechanisms of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) through the correlation of surface electrical and topographical effects. Local electric fields generated on Au/ZnO nanohybrid films impact analyte adsorption, while roughness is linked to hotspot generation. Optimizing the interplay between these two effects yields SERS enhancement factors (EFs) of 106, enabling ppb detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water.

