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Highly S ensitive D etection of B lood by S urface E nhanced R aman S cattering , ,
Author(s) -
Boyd Samantha,
Bertino Massimo F.,
Ye Dexian,
White Lauren S.,
Seashols Sarah J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12120
Subject(s) - substrate (aquarium) , materials science , luminescence , raman scattering , raman spectroscopy , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , chromatography , optoelectronics , optics , physics , biology , ecology
Raman spectroscopy for forensic body fluid analysis has received some attention due to the nondestructive nature and potential application for identification at the crime scene; however, its usage has been limited by low detection sensitivity. Surface enhanced R aman scattering ( SERS ) was evaluated for blood identification for forensic applications. Specifically, a SERS ‐active substrate was fabricated, composed of nickel nanotips coated with A g nanoparticles. Compared with a conventional substrate, the SERS substrate enhanced R aman scattering by more than two orders of magnitude and allowed blood to be identified to a dilution of 1:100,000. Blood was also successfully detected by swabbing the SERS substrate directly on mock evidence. Most importantly, R aman spectra obtained by swabbing the SERS substrate on blood stains were free of luminescence even when blood was deposited on luminescent fabrics. The nondestructive character, simplicity of sample preparation, and high sensitivity make SERS a prime candidate for field and laboratory‐based blood identification.