title: Detection of nerve gases using surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates with high droplet adhesion.
abstract: Threats from chemical warfare agents, commonly known as nerve gases, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activity worldwide. However, nerve gases are difficult to detect using current analytical tools and outside dedicated laboratories. Here we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be used for sensitive detection of femtomol quantities of two nerve gases, VX and Tabun, using a handheld Raman device and SERS substrates consisting of flexible gold-covered Si nanopillars. The substrate surface exhibits high droplet adhesion and nanopillar clustering due to elasto-capillary forces, resulting in enrichment of target molecules in plasmonic hot-spots with high Raman enhancement. The results may pave the way for strategic life-saving SERS detection of chemical warfare agents in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Hakonen@chalmers.se.
authors.forename: Aron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hakonen
authors.affiliation: DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345 east, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rindzevicius
authors.affiliation: DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345 east, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael Stenbæk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Swedish Defense Research Agency FOI, Dept CBRN Def & Security, SE-90182 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per Ola
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Swedish Defense Research Agency FOI, Dept CBRN Def & Security, SE-90182 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Juhlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Hakonen@chalmers.se.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Svedendahl
authors.affiliation: DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345 east, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boisen
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Hakonen@chalmers.se.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Käll
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D000067397:Nerve Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000067397:Nerve Agents