Enhancing SERS detection on a biocompatible metallic substrate for diabetes diagnosing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate glucose monitoring is crucial for diabetes management.
• Existing glucose detection methods can be invasive or lack sensitivity.
• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity for molecular detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel SERS substrate for sensitive glucose detection.
• To fabricate a structure-controlled SERS substrate using laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS).
• To evaluate the performance of the SERS substrate for glucose sensing in biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a silver-coated laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) on a titanium alloy substrate using femtosecond laser micro-processing.
• Characterization of the SERS substrate's morphology and performance.
• Quantitative analysis of glucose concentration using SERS, correlating Raman intensity with concentration.

Main Results:

• Achieved a low detection limit for glucose of 10^-7 mol/L.
• Established a linear relationship between glucose concentration and Raman intensity in the range of 1×10^-7 to 1×10^-3 mol/L.
• Demonstrated successful glucose detection in human urine samples with results in good agreement with clinical data.

Conclusions:

• A facile and effective method for producing a structure-controlled SERS substrate for glucose detection was demonstrated.
• The developed SERS substrate shows high sensitivity and selectivity for glucose.
• This approach holds significant promise for developing non-invasive, long-term in vivo glucose monitoring devices.