Applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate

Threats of explosive, toxic and narcotic substances continue growing importance to a number of places around the world. In many recent cases, the treats are coming from unprecedented well-funded, increasing sophisticated and highly mass propaganda of radical or criminal organizations. These are challenging tasks for the defense agencies to implement new technologies and methods to ramp up intelligence gathering and visibility in order to pinpoint and deactivate the threats at multiple levels. Some of the main challenges are to develop faster, more sensitive, less expensive portable systems to facilitate the ultra-low detection of the targeted chemical compounds for anti-terror/criminal purposes. This article is to review the progress of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate of silver nanorod fabricated by magnetron sputtering technique, developed by our group at NECTEC for defense related applications, which have been published in several previous reports, in order to promote the technique as a major tool for rapid identification of such terror/criminal substances at ultra - sensitive levels. Major highlights are trace detection of several toxic organophosphorous compounds, explosives including TNT and commercial explosives and a narcotic drug based on methamphetamine - at a sensitivity that can compete with, or even better than, conventional methods.