Silver nanocluster films for glucose sensing by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)

The detection of glucose by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is a challenging problem because glucose molecules have a small Raman scattering cross-section and they have a low affinity for adsorption on metal nanoparticle surfaces. In this study we used 2-Thienylboronic acid (2-TBA) as a bridge or linker molecule between the metal surface and the glucose molecule and observed an intense Raman line at 986 cm−1 that was used to quantify the glucose concentration in the molar concentration range 1 μM–500 μM. A good correlation was observed between the intensity of this line and molar concentration of glucose. These results would find applications in the development of a non-invasive glucose sensor for diabetic patients using saliva as the body fluid instead of blood serum. Keywords: SERS, Nanoclusters, Raman Spectroscopy, 2-Thienylboronic acid, d-Glucose