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    TopUp SERS substrates with integrated internal standard
    (Basel : MDPI, 2018) Patze, Sophie; Hübner, Uwe; Weber, Karina; Cialla-May, Dana; Popp, Jürgen
    Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is known as a molecular-specific and highly sensitive method. In order to enable the routine application of SERS, powerful SERS substrates are of great importance. Within this manuscript, a TopUp SERS substrate is introduced which is fabricated by a top-down process based on microstructuring as well as a bottom-up generation of silver nanostructures. The Raman signal of the support material acts as an internal standard in order to improve the quantification capabilities. The analyte molecule coverage of sulfamethoxazole on the surface of the nanostructures is characterized by the SERS signal evolution fitted by a Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm.
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    Raman Signal Enhancement Tunable by Gold-Covered Porous Silicon Films with Different Morphology
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Agafilushkina, Svetlana N.; Žukovskaja, Olga; Dyakov, Sergey A.; Weber, Karina; Sivakov, Vladimir; Popp, Jürgen; Cialla-May, Dana; Osminkina, Liubov A.
    The ease of fabrication, large surface area, tunable pore size and morphology as well surface modification capabilities of a porous silicon (PSi) layer make it widely used for sensoric applications. The pore size of a PSi layer can be an important parameter when used as a matrix for creating surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) surfaces. Here, we evaluated the SERS activity of PSi with pores ranging in size from meso to macro, the surface of which was coated with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). We found that different pore diameters in the PSi layers provide different morphology of the gold coating, from an almost monolayer to 50 nm distance between nanoparticles. Methylene blue (MB) and 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MPy) were used to describe the SERS activity of obtained Au/PSi surfaces. The best Raman signal enhancement was shown when the internal diameter of torus-shaped Au NPs is around 35 nm. To understand the role of plasmonic resonances in the observed SERS spectrum, we performed electromagnetic simulations of Raman scattering intensity as a function of the internal diameter. The results of these simulations are consistent with the obtained experimental data
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    Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Metabolite Pyocyanin in Water and Saliva by Employing the SERS Technique
    (Basel : MDPI, 2017) Zukovskaja, Olga; Jahn, Izabella-Jolan; Weber, Karina; Cialla-May, Dana; Popp, Jürgen
    Pyocyanin (PYO) is a metabolite specific for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the case of immunocompromised patients, it is currently considered a biomarker for life-threating Pseudomonas infections. In the frame of this study it is shown, that PYO can be detected in aqueous solution by employing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with a microfluidic platform. The achieved limit of detection is 0.5 μM. This is ~2 orders of magnitude below the concentration of PYO found in clinical samples. Furthermore, as proof of principle, the SERS detection of PYO in the saliva of three volunteers was also investigated. This body fluid can be collected in a non-invasive manner and is highly chemically complex, making the detection of the target molecule challenging. Nevertheless, PYO was successfully detected in two saliva samples down to 10 μM and in one sample at a concentration of 25 μM. This indicates that the molecules present in saliva do not inhibit the efficient adsorption of PYO on the surface of the employed SERS active substrates.
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    Molecular Specific and Sensitive Detection of Pyrazinamide and Its Metabolite Pyrazinoic Acid by Means of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Employing In Situ Prepared Colloids
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Mühlig, Anna; Jahn, Izabella-Jolan; Heidler, Jan; Weber, Karina; Jahn, Martin; Sheen, Patricia; Zimic, Mirko; Cialla-May, Dana; Popp, Jürgen
    The prodrug pyrazinamide (PZA) is metabolized by the mycobacteria to pyrazinoic acid (POA), which is expelled into the extracellular environment. PZA resistance is highly associated to a lack of POA efflux. Thus, by detecting a reduction of the concentration of POA in the extracellular environment, by means of lab-on-a-chip (LoC)-SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy), an alternative approach for the discrimination of PZA resistant mycobacteria is introduced. A droplet-based microfluidic SERS device has been employed to illustrate the potential of the LoC-SERS method for the discrimination of PZA resistant mycobacteria. The two analytes were detected discretely in aqueous solution with a limit of detection of 27 µm for PZA and 21 µm for POA. The simultaneous detection of PZA and POA in aqueous mixtures could be realized within a concentration range from 20 μm to 50 μm for PZA and from 50 μm to 80 μm for POA.