Gas phase detection of chemical warfare agents CWAs with portable Raman

The development of SERS substrates for chemical detection of specific analytes requires appropriate selection of plasmonic metal and the surface where it is deposited. Here we deposited Ag nanoplates on three substrates: i) conventional SiO₂/Si wafer, ii) stainless steel mesh and iii) graphite foils. The SERS enhancement of the signal was studied for Rhodamine 6 G (R6 G) as common liquid phase probe molecule. We conducted a comprehensive study with λ = 532, 633 and 785 nm on all the substrates. The best substrate was investigated, at the optimum laser 785 nm, for gas phase detection of dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), simulant of the G-series nerve agents, at a concentration of 2.5 ppmV (14 mg/m³). The spectral fingerprint was clearly observed; with variations on the relative intensities of SERS Raman bands compared to bulk DMMP in liquid phase reflects the DMMP-Ag interactions. These interactions were simulated by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and the simulated spectra matched with the experimental one. Finally, we were detected the characteristics DMMP fingerprint with hand-held portable equipment. These results open the way for the application of SERS technique on real scenarios where robust, light-weight, miniaturized and simple to use and cost-effective tools are required by first responders.