Patent ID: 8107070

Claim:
A method of detecting melamine in a sample comprising: providing a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate, wherein the SERS substrate comprises a Ag nanorod array substrate, wherein an angle, β, is formed between the nanorods and the SERS substrate, and wherein the angle is about 30° to 75°; exposing the sample to the SERS substrate; and obtaining a unique SERS spectrum for the melamine, wherein the SERS substrate comprises a multi-well array substrate, wherein the multi-well array substrate comprises at least one well, wherein the well has a bottom surface and a side surface, and wherein a plurality of nanorod structures are disposed on the bottom surface, wherein the plurality of nanorod structures comprise Ag nanorod structures, wherein the side surface is made of a material selected from the group consisting of: polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), fluorinated PDMS, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycyclic olefin polyethylene copolymers, polycarbonate, polyalkanes, polyacrylate polybutanol co-polymers, polystyrenes, polyionomers, polybutyl terephthalate (PBT), polyamides, polyoxymethylene (POM), other acetyl resins, and a combination thereof, and the bottom surface is made of a silicon material.