Patent ID: 7898658

Claim:
A method of analysis to determine the presence or absence of an analyte in a sample comprising: i) treating a substrate comprising: a porous matrix of a first material defining a first surface, wherein the pores of said matrix are nanometer in scale, wherein the distance between the pores is nanometer in scale, and wherein the pores are filled with deposits of a surface-enhanced-Raman-active metal, and wherein the deposits are covered with an additional layer defining a second surface; wherein said treating comprises differentially removing said first material to expose said surface-enhanced-Raman-active metal as nanowires, and wherein said nanowires are capable of spatially condensing to a distance of separation which is smaller than the distance between pores of the matrix and suitable for generating a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy signal; ii) contacting said substrate with a sample suspected of containing an analyte; iii) detecting a surface enhanced Raman spectrum (SERS) signal; wherein the SERS signal is indicative of the presence or absence of the analyte.