Material for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and SER sensors and method for preparing same
US6623977B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 2, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 23, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 13, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/77
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Metal-doped sol-gel materials, suitable for use as sensors for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic analysis for trace chemical detection, are produced by effecting gelation and solvent removal of a doped sol-gel under mild temperature conditions. At least in certain instances reaction and drying will desirably be effected in an oxygen-starved environment. The metal of the sol-gel material functions, when irradiated, to produce a plasmon field for interaction with molecules of an analyte in contact therewith, increasing by orders of magnitude Raman photons that are generate by excitation radiation, and the method allows matching of the metal and metal particle size to a wavelength of light (or incident radiation, e.g., laser radiation) to generate surface plasmons. The porosity of the sol-gel material dramatically increases the surface area, and thereby the amount of metal exposed for analyte interaction. The sensors provided may be in the form of glass vials, fiber optics, multi-well micro-sample plates, etc., having surface coatings of the doped sol-gel material, to provide sampling systems for use in a Raman instrument.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.