Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of CoV-SARS-2 viral proteins in a strong coupling regime

Abstract Fast, sensitive, high-throughput detection of coronavirus antigens at physiologically relevant levels is essential for population screening that could prevent epidemics such as the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Optical methods based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy are promising this purpose because they ensure quick even single biological molecules in a sample. For achieving high sensitivity, it crucial to design SERS-active systems concentrating incident radiation into small sample volumes. Here, metal-dielectric cavities have been obtained through interaction protein sulfhydryl groups with silver surface. The concentration light these allows differential spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid SARS-COV-2, which its key antigens, concentrations. cavity Q-factor can be increased by additionally covering dielectric film shell form an ultrathin cavity, provides least tenfold enhancement signal. results used specific sensitive viral diagnosis infections.