Highly Stable and Reproducible Au Nanorod Arrays for Near-Infrared Optofluidic SERS sensor

TL;DR

This paper presents a rapid, sensitive, and highly stable Au nanorod array-based optofluidic SERS device capable of detecting trace molecules in near-infrared, with quick response times and high reproducibility.

Contribution

The authors developed a novel Au nanorod array fabrication method for stable, reproducible, and near-IR resonant SERS substrates integrated into microfluidics.

Findings

Detected 4,4-bipyridine within seconds

Achieved detection of approximately 2x10^-12 moles of molecules

Demonstrated rapid and reproducible SERS response

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a sensitive vibrational spectroscopy technique that can enable fast and non-destructive detection of trace molecules. SERS substrates are critical for the advancement of the SERS application. By incorporating SERS substrates into microfluidic devices, the function of microfluidic devices can be extended, and an efficient on-site trace analysis platform with powerful sensing capabilities can be realized. In this paper, we report the fabrication of a rapid and sensitive optofluidic SERS device using a unique Au nanorod array (AuNRA) with a plasmon resonance frequency in the near IR region. The highly stable and reproducible AuNRA were fabricated by a facile dynamic oblique angle deposition technique. A typical spectrum of 4,4-bipyridine (BPY) with enhanced peaks was observed within a few seconds after the injection of an aqueous solution BPY. Time-course measurements revealed an outstandingly quick response of SERS in this system. Using the AuNR microfluidic device, approximately 2x10-12 mole molecules were enough to produce detectable SERS signals. This work demonstrates rapid and sensitive chemical sensing using an optofluidic device equipped with a unique noble metal nanorod array.