Fiber-optic SERS microfluidic chip based on light-induced gold nano-particle aggregation

A novel optofluidic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip was specially designed and fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and embedded with normal silica multi-mode optical fibers. Unlike in a conventional Raman detection configuration where an angle of 90° is commonly adopted, here the orientations of the excitation fiber and the collection fiber was set at such an obtuse angle so that the light beam from the excitation fiber can illuminate the endface, but is not within the acceptance angle of the collection fiber. It was found that with the laser irradiating on the endface of the collection fiber in the sample solution, the Raman scattering intensity continued to grow and a level about 30-times than its initial intensity was observed, which was understood by light-induced gold nano-particle aggregation. The effects of fibers' coupling angles, positions and laser irradiation power on the aggregation were investigated.