Chemical analysis of air pollutant particulate matters based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)

Abstract

Particulate matters (PMs), which are condensed from air pollutants, pose severe health threats in many industrialized countries. Various chemical analyses of the particulate matters are crucial to specify their air pollutant sources and reduce PMs. Here, we report a chemical analysis technique for the PMs based on Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). Distinctive Raman spectroscopic signals are detected from PMs whose surface are dispersed with gold nanoparticle aggregates. By exploiting the molecular specific sensitivity of SERS, we distinguish between the PMs according to their sources. To be specific, artificially generated PM materials as a reference are successfully distinguished from soil dusts collected from on-site. This work would pave a way towards identifying the PMs according to their sources and developing an on-site chemical analysis of PMs.