| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/I017852/1 |
| Title: |
Cross-disciplinary Interfaces Programme (C-DIP) Fellowship Fund |
| Principal Investigator: |
Klemm, Dr M |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Electrical and Electronic Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Bristol |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
01 January 2011 |
Ends: |
31 December 2015 |
Value (£): |
65,340
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Biomedical neuroscience |
Med.Instrument.Device& Equip. |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Raman spectroscopy uses laser light to provide an analysis or chemical fingerprint of materials such as human tissue. It has been shown by many research groups that Raman spectroscopy is able to distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue in the laboratory. Previously, a Raman probe small enough to fit inside a medical endoscope that opens the way for the instant detection of cancers within the oesophagus was developed at Bristol. In the current project, we are investigating the feasibility of adapting the above core technology to make an intelligent hypodermic needle suitable for investigating cancer and cancer like conditions below the skin. The goal is to construct a probe suitable for the study of breast and prostate cancers but shorter probes will also be made for looking at lymph nodes and for tissue identification.The current Raman needle sensor relies on detecting far-field Raman scattering, which is extremely weak. However, to improve Raman scattering process the technology widely known as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) could be used in the new design. SERS exploits the locally enhanced electric field on rough metal surfaces to drastically improve the Raman scattering process. Another, novel, possibility to locally enhance electric fields is to use nano-antenna array as the SERS substrate. Nano-antennas (or optical antennas), currently being investigated by Dr Klemm, are an emerging concept in nanophotonics. Similar to radiowave and microwave antennas, their purpose is to convert the energy of free propagating radiation to localized energy, and vice versa. Optical antennas exploit the unique property of metal nanostructures at optical wavelengths - plasmon resonance. Nanoantennas exhibiting plasmonic resonances can enhance the field leading to SERS signal enhancement that is approximately proportional to the fourth power of the field enhancement factor. This interdisciplinary project brings together research fields of electromagnetics, physics, photonics and nanotechnology. It is very timely and currently unrelated research efforts of Dr Klemm and Dr Day could be combined into a novel research project. Fabricating and testing first proof-of-principle prototypes we want to prove that nano-antennas can indeed improve SERS. This could results in future joint project proposal application.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.bris.ac.uk |