3-D nanoporous optofluidic device for high sensitivity SERS detection

We report the demonstration of an optofluidic surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) device that leverages nanoporous microfluidics to dramatically increase the SERS performance. In this work, we utilize packed silica microspheres in a microfluidic channel to create a 3D nanoporous concentration matrix to achieve a detection limit of 400 attomoles of Rhodamine 6G in 2 minutes in a simple to fabricate microfluidic chip. Integrated fiber optics further enables the device to be relevant for portable applications.