The Future of Disease Research

 


New research is being conducted at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Scientists have created a reusable and highly sensitive device called a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). It is a micro fluid system that can detect lower than 10 ppt (parts per trillion) of harmful substances.

The work was published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing. Use of this new tool could effect food safety, environmental monitoring, and even medical diagnosis. 

Dr. Yongxiang Hu is a professor at SJTU’s School of Mechanical Engineering. He is first author of this new paper and is quoted as saying, “How to assemble well-designed nanoparticles into micro channels is a critical problem. In most research, the SERS-active substrate is fabricated separately in advance and then integrated with micro fluid chips, suffering from low fabrication efficiency and expensive costs. We need to find a fast and affordable technique. Here we are saying why not implant nanoparticles into the micro channel directly?”

SERS systems have been developed from direct femtosecond laser structures. In the recent past, many flexible SERS active interface fabrication routes have been created. 

Nanoparticles can be created in micro channels for SERS detection. They use a resolution as low as 10(-10) mol/L. This is done using laser induced photo reduction. There is a problem with laser reduced nanoparticles, however. They are defenseless against oxidation when exposed to air. Overtime, this effects their durability. Nanoparticles that are created by lasers are known to be challenging to control in a uniform fashion. This limits the improvement of sensitivity and the ability to reproduce. 

Researchers used femtosecond laser induced forward transfer (fs-LIFT) technology. They placed the nanoparticle in a lattice with a pitch of approximately 400nm. It made the main deviation at about 3%. 

This astonishing electromagnetic field enhancement produced a detection limit lower than 10(-11) mol/L.

After several physical and chemical cleanings, the material shows excellent reuse ability. This is because of the powerful embedment of the fs-LIFT nanoparticles. 

Because of the sensitivity and high stability, this method was used to create a SERS micro fluidic system. It monitors the oxidation reaction, which assists them infer future reaction’s paths. 

Researchers expect this technology to be used in disease screening and other bio medical detection in the near future. 


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