US Patent 7397558 - Partially coated nanoparticles for enhanced Raman scattering

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7397558.html

Raman scattering is an important method for molecular analysis. There have been a variety of efforts to use nanoscale structures in enhancing the effects of Raman scattering and this patent from HP teaches one variation in which the outer shells of metallic nanoparticles are partially coated with organic ligands in order to space apart the nanoparticles and regulate the enhancement of the scattering. Claim 1 reads:

1. An NERS-active structure comprising:

a substrate;

a two-dimensional array of nanoparticles usable for enhancing Raman scattered radiation, the two-dimensional array of nanoparticles affixed to the substrate; and

an outer shell partially coating at least some nanoparticles of the two-dimensional array of nanoparticles, wherein each coated nanoparticle of the two-dimensional array of nanoparticles is separated from adjacent nanoparticles by a predetermined distance.