Raman spectroscopy investigation of biological materials by use of etched and silver coated glass fiber tips

The results for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies on biological samples are reported. Etched and silver coated glass fiber tips were used as a SERS substrate. This method enabled the recording of spectra of biological samples, such as plant tissue or microbiological cells, with a high spatial resolution. Because of the low laser power used with the fiber tips, it was even possible to investigate tissues that are very sensitive toward laser power as it is used in a common micro-Raman setup. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.