| Nov 26, 2025 |
Researchers show copper nanoparticles power UV SERS to detect key biochemical markers, a discovery that could pave the way to fast and reliable skin cancer diagnostics.
(Nanowerk News) Lithuanian scientists report a discovery that could transform early cancer diagnostics. Researchers at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Prof. Gediminas Niaura and Dr Martynas Talaikis, working with colleagues abroad, have shown for the first time that copper can serve as an effective metal for ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (UV SERS). This highly sensitive technique examines molecular vibrations to detect biochemical compounds.
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Their study appears in Advanced Optical Materials (“Copper‐Based Multiwavelength UV Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy”) and is featured on the journal’s back cover.
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UV SERS could make it easier to detect low-molecular-weight compounds linked to diseases, including skin cancer. “The field we’ve chosen is still under-explored. Very few researchers in the world work on this,” say the scientists from the FTMC Department of Organic Chemistry.
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Raman spectroscopy uses laser light to reveal how molecules vibrate, producing a detailed chemical signature. The FTMC team aimed to adapt a powerful version of this technique, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, for clinical use. SERS is widely used in biomedical research, but its lack of reproducibility and methodological standards has kept it out of hospitals. Selectivity is another problem. It struggles to pinpoint small cancer biomarkers.
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The breakthrough lies in ultraviolet light. Many biologically important molecules absorb UV far more strongly than surrounding tissue. When exposed to UV, their Raman signals become much stronger, increasing SERS selectivity. “Our aim is to use UV SERS as a diagnostic method for rapid and reliable detection of cancer-related spectral markers. Ideally, this would be possible even during surgical operations. A new compact device would make this feasible,” explained Habil. Dr Gediminas Niaura in January when presenting the group’s project.
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To reach that goal, the team developed nanoparticles made from different metals. These particles act as amplifiers, boosting Raman signals by millions of times. In practice, nanoparticles are mixed with non-invasively collected skin swabs and illuminated with UV light. If early cancer markers are present, their spectral fingerprints become visible.
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When the project began, the results surprised the researchers. Copper nanoparticles proved to be strong UV SERS enhancers. This challenged established assumptions, as UV light was not expected to generate the usual electromagnetic enhancement on copper surfaces. Instead, a chemical enhancement mechanism dominated. The turning point came when Dr Vladimir Sivakov from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology arrived with nanoparticles from his lab. “They included bismuth, copper, and other metals. We carried out tests under different irradiation conditions to obtain a reliable SERS signal. Bismuth didn’t work at all, but copper responded remarkably well to UV light,” recalls Dr Martynas Talaikis.
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“With copper, we were able to reliably detect low-molecular-weight aromatic compounds such as the nucleobase adenine. Copper particles turned out to be quite stable. We kept them unchanged for a couple of months. As mentioned, the chemical enhancement mechanism on the copper surface proved crucial in this research. When a molecule adsorbs effectively ‘sticks’ to the metal surface, its electronic structure changes, and this change leads to enhanced interaction with laser light via resonance effects, significantly boosting the signal,” explains Niaura.
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“You can shine light on a molecule even without a metal surface. If the laser wavelength matches its absorption, the signal may increase by tens of thousands of times, that’s well-known. But once the molecule binds to a metal, new effects arise, and the results can be even more impressive,” adds the Professor.
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To compare with established lab research, the team attached adenine to the copper surface. On the back cover of Advanced Optical Materials, a silicon platform covered with copper nanoparticles is shown being illuminated by UV light. Above it, the structure of adenine and the resulting SERS signal appear. Every molecule has its own set of peaks in the spectrum, each corresponding to a vibration. These patterns act like fingerprints that researchers can identify.
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| Back cover of the Advanced Optical Material journal. (Image: Wiley)
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The FTMC group is now working with Malmö University’s Prof. Dr Tautgirdas Ruzgas to design a copper-based biosensor for skin cancer detection. The proposed method is straightforward. A moistened sponge collects molecules from a suspicious patch of skin. These molecules are mixed with nanoparticles, exposed to UV light, and analyzed to provide a rapid result.
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“After publishing our paper, we are now searching for other suitable metals for experiments, but we are also continuing work on copper,” says Prof. Niaura. “We plan to create composite nanoparticles consisting of copper and magnetic components, which would serve a dual function. Magnetism helps control particle deposition, concentration and purification.”
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The researchers note that clinical application will take time, but progress is steady. Their copper-based approach has already established a path toward reliable, scalable and affordable UV SERS technology.
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