Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the reliable analysis of solid-state surfaces

Project Information

NanoStruct

Grant agreement ID: 101071560

DOI

10.3030/101071560

Project closed

EC signature date 27 June 2022

Start date 1 July 2022

End date 31 December 2022

Funded under

• European innovation ecosystems

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 75 000,00

Coordinated by

NANOSTRUCT GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NanoStruct (Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the reliable analysis of solid-state surfaces)

Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In many industrial and societal fields high purity materials are crucial. The production process of semiconducting devices or ultrasensitive lenses strongly depends on the absence of contaminations. But also in other industrial sectors unwanted contaminants like germs or environmental pollution can lead to dangers to human health or the environment. While the method SERS is already well known, its broad application in industry was up to now limited by the missing reliability of former SERS-substrates. NanoStruct aims at rendering the versatile and powerful method surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) more reliable. This new reliability opens the chance to enter markets like semiconductor industry or food industry formerly not accessible for the method SERS. Even the utilization of the method for the analysis of solid-state surfaces becomes feasible by applying NanoStruct SERS-plasters.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the project at hand a thorough market analysis to understand the need for a new reliable, fast and precise analysis method in different markets and market segments was the central activity. Several concrete applications with high impacts for security and health could be identified and first customers and potential users of NanoStructs SERS-products were found. This sets the base for the final steps of product development, in particular the use and the test of the NanoStruct SERS-plasters in the industrial environment. Moreover, based on the findings of the market analysis a strategic plan to market the SERS products in the market segments where a high social and environmental impact can be achieved was developed.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In the project NanoStruct, several industrial areas could be identified, which have a large need for a sensitive and reliable method to identify contaminations. In each of them applying the new method potentially has a large impact. For example, the examination of surfaces for remnants of explosives can yield a higher safety for humans and the fast identification of germs, in particular bacteria, can lead to a faster allocation of illnesses, thus ensuring a fast and correct treatment of a patient and in semiconductor industry it can help in the development of new devices.

To ensure the successful implementation of the product in these high impact field, the next step is the optimization of the product for the particular application taking into account regulatory aspects and the environment where the product will be applied.