Cicely Rathmell

June 01, 2021

SERS can amplify Raman signals, but to make the technique practical for industrial use, large quantities of substrate are needed. The approach described here could enable cost-effective, reproducible manufacturing of SERS substrates at large scale.

June 01, 2020

Of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging manufactured every year, approximately one-third ends up in the ocean, the air, and most foods and beverages. To monitor the proliferation of these plastics, an ultrasonic capture method is demonstrated that produces a 1500-fold enhancement of Raman signals of microplastics in water.

June 01, 2019

A new application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is described for quantifying low concentrations of pathogens with high reproducibility. In this novel assay, bacteria are captured and isolated using functionalized metal nanoparticles for rapid optical identification via SERS. Initial tests with a portable SERS system validated the ability to identify the presence of Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

June 01, 2018

This new data-driven Raman spectroscopy (DDRS) method is capable of simultaneously measuring 12 hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon gases in the presence of matrix interferences.

September 13, 2016

In this technical note we discuss the causes and consequences of stray light, and provide suggestions for mitigating its effects in your experimental setup.

August 11, 2015

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has expanded the applications of Raman spectroscopy to include trace analysis of materials such as explosives residues, evidence at crime scenes, chemical warfare agents and pesticides. As a label-free technique, SERS is also well suited to biosensing, from blood glucose to diagnosis of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

June 01, 2012

This tutorial demonstrates that Raman is well-suited to tackle two challenges faced by industry: complex mixtures and isomers.