A specially modified surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for biomedical applications

Abstract

Hierarchically-ordered Au film-coated polystyrene beads have been well-known to be employed as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate. In this study, we propose a novel and facile method to modify the performance of this SERS substrate and investigate the chemical components in saliva. Results have demonstrated that there is at least a 4-fold increase in SERS signals using the modified substrates compared to the non-modified substrates. Besides, the SERS performances of substrates modified by different preparation conditions are examined and compared. These findings show that our fabricated substrates are effective in further enhancing SERS signals and have potential for biomedical applications in trace analytes analysis.