Issue 6, 2024

A 3D printed sheath flow interface for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection in flow

Abstract

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an effective technique for detecting molecules in aqueous solutions due to its insensitivity to water, which makes it especially useful for biological samples. Utilizing SERS in flow can aid in a variety of applications such as metabolomics, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics. The ability to 3D print complex objects enables rapid dissemination of prototypes. A 3D printed flow cell for sheath flow SERS detection has been developed that can incorporate a variety of planar substrates. The 3D printed flow cell incorporates hydrodynamic focusing, a sheath flow, that confines the analyte near the SERS substrate. Since the SERS signal obtained relies on the interaction between analyte molecules and nanostructures, sheath flow increases the detection efficiency and eliminates many issues associated with SERS detection in solution. This device was optimized by analyzing both molecules and particles with and without using sheath flow for SERS detection. Our results show that the flow rates can be optimized to increase the SERS signal obtained from a variety of analytes, and that the signal was increased when using sheath flow. This 3D printed flow cell offers a straightforward method to disseminate this technology and to facilitate online SERS detection.

Graphical abstract: A 3D printed sheath flow interface for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection in flow

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 dez 2023
Accepted
23 jan 2024
First published
02 fev 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Analyst, 2024,149, 1849-1860

A 3D printed sheath flow interface for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection in flow

C. J. Morder and Z. D. Schultz, Analyst, 2024, 149, 1849 DOI: 10.1039/D3AN02125D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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