We report an easy-to-implement device for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based detection of various analytes dissolved in water droplets at trace concentrations. The device combines an analyte-enrichment system and SERS-active sensor site, both produced via inexpensive and high-performance direct femtosecond (fs)-laser printing. Fabricated on a surface of water-repellent polytetrafluoroethylene substrate as an arrangement of micropillars, the analyte-enrichment system supports evaporating water droplet in the Cassie–Baxter superhydrophobic state, thus ensuring delivery of the dissolved analyte molecules towards the hydrophilic SERS-active site. The efficient pre-concentration of the analyte onto the sensor site based on densely arranged spiky plasmonic nanotextures results in its subsequent label-free identification by means of SERS spectroscopy. Using the proposed device, we demonstrate reliable SERS-based fingerprinting of various analytes, including common organic dyes and medical drugs at ppb concentrations. The proposed device is believed to find applications in various areas, including label-free environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and forensics.

Recently, sensors using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detectors combined with superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic analyte concentration systems showed the ability to reach detection limits below the femto-molar level. However, a further increase in the sensitivity of these sensors is limited by the impossibility of the concentration systems to deposit the analyte on an area of less than 0.01 mm². This article proposes a fundamentally new approach to the analyte enrichment, based on the effect of non-uniform electrostatic field on the evaporating droplet. This approach, combined with the optimized geometry of a superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic concentration system allows more than a six-fold reduction of the deposition area. Potentially, this makes it possible to improve the detection limit of the plasmonic sensors by the same factor, bringing it down to the attomolar level.

At the moment, manipulation of liquid microdroplets is required in various microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices, as well as advanced sensors. The platforms used for these purposes should provide the possibility of controlled selective movement and coalescence of droplets, and the manipulation speed should be sufficiently high (more than 10 mm/s). In addition, to facilitate their practical application, such platforms should have a simple planar geometry and low manufacturing cost. We report here a new method for microdroplet manipulation based on the use of non-uniform electrostatic fields. Our platform uses an electrode array embedded in a dielectric planar superhydrophobic substrate (50 × 50 mm). When a voltage is applied to a certain sequence of electrodes, a non-uniform electrostatic field is produced, which acts to attract a droplet on the substrate to the electrodes. This achieves a stepwise movement of the droplet. We realized non-contact, selective and high speed (up to 80 mm/s) movement of the individual droplets along specified trajectories (like a chess game) and their selective coalescence. It allowed us to demonstrate several controllable chemical reactions including an analytical one. In our opinion, this approach has a huge potential for chemical technology applications, especially in advanced sensors.

Laser ablation in liquid is an effective method for creating nanoparticles. However, their further characterization can be complicated by the dispersion of the nanoparticle over the liquid volume. This problem can be solved by localizing the nanoparticles during droplet evaporation. As will be shown in this work isopropyl alcohol and water selected in a certain ratio are able to deliver nanoparticles to a small surface area, allowing them to be localized for further investigation.

At the moment, manipulation of liquid microdroplets is required in various microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices, as well as advanced sensors. We report a new method for microdroplets manipulation, based on the use non-uniform electrostatic fields. Our platform uses an electrode array embedded in a dielectric planar superhydrophobic substrate produced by direct laser writing. When a voltage is applied to a certain sequence of electrodes, a non-uniform electrostatic field is produced, which acts to attract a droplet on the substrate to the electrodes. This achieves a stepwise movement of the droplet. We realized non-contact, selective and high-speed movement of the individual droplets along specified trajectories and their selective coalescence. In our opinion, this approach has a huge potential for chemical technology applications especially in optical sensors.