Novel Sampling Tickets for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) of Chemical and Biological (CB) Threat Materials
ID: CBD254-006Type: BOTH
Overview

Topic

Novel Sampling Tickets for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) of Chemical and Biological (CB) Threat Materials

Agency

Agency: DODBranch: CBD

Program

Type: SBIRPhase: BOTH
Timeline
    Description

    The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking innovative solutions through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for the development of novel sampling tickets designed for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to detect chemical and biological (CB) threat materials. The primary objective is to create physically semi-porous, flexible coupons that enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman detectors, which currently face challenges in identifying trace amounts of hazardous substances from various surfaces in operational environments. This initiative is crucial for improving the capabilities of military units in detecting a range of threats, including nerve agents and toxins, thereby enhancing battlefield safety and operational effectiveness. Interested parties should note that the solicitation number is CBD254-006, with a release date of September 3, 2025, and proposals are due by December 31, 2025. For more information, please visit the DOD SBIR website at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/.

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    The government RFP CBD254-006 seeks innovative solutions for developing novel sampling tickets for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to detect chemical and biological (CB) threat materials. The objective is to create physically semi-porous flexible coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles that can sample from various surfaces, overcoming the limitations of current handheld Raman detectors which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. These SERS tickets should enhance sensitivity and selectivity for trace amounts of hazards like toxins and fentanyl analogs, be compatible with fielded Raman devices (785nm, 830nm, and 1064 nm wavelengths), and address challenges in SERS signal variability. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, patterning, and a demonstration plan for enhanced Raman identification. Phase II involves producing and demonstrating prototype coupons with specific detection capabilities and delivering substrates for independent analysis. Phase III aims for the rapid transition and fielding of this technology across military services, with significant dual-use applications for agencies like Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, and the FDA for detecting toxic chemicals in cargo, food, and counterfeit drugs.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous, flexible coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons would enable handheld Raman spectrometers to detect trace amounts of chemical and biological (CB) hazards, such as toxins and fentanyl analogs, from various surfaces. The Department of Defense aims to overcome the limitations of current handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. The proposed SERS tickets should be inexpensive, lightweight, unpowered, and compatible with existing Raman devices (785nm, 830nm, and 1064 nm wavelengths). Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, patterning, and demonstration plans for enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. Phase II involves producing and demonstrating prototype coupons, ensuring statistical validity and delivering 50 substrates for independent analysis. Phase III aims for advanced development and fielding across military services, with dual-use applications for agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration for cargo screening, food testing, and counterfeit drug detection.
    The government RFP "CBD254-006: Novel Sampling Tickets for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) of Chemical and Biological (CB) Threat Materials" seeks disruptive technologies to develop semi-porous flexible coupons for SERS detection of chemical and biological hazards. These coupons aim to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman spectrometers, enabling trace detection from various surfaces and improving identification in complex mixtures. The project addresses challenges in SERS signal variability by focusing on consistent substrate fabrication and patterning. Phase I requires proposals detailing substrate selection, patterning, and a plan for demonstrating enhancements. Phase II involves producing and testing prototype coupons for sensitivity and selectivity, with specific performance metrics and delivery of substrates for independent analysis. Phase III anticipates the transition to fielding the technology across military services and commercial applications, including cargo screening, food safety, and counterfeit drug detection by organizations like DHS and FDA.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous flexible coupons for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons, made of materials like paper or polymer with plasmonic nanoparticles, aim to sample chemical and biological (CB) threat materials from various surfaces in operational environments. The objective is to enhance the capabilities of handheld Raman spectrometers, moving beyond bulk detection to identify trace amounts of hazards and improve selectivity against impurities. The proposed tickets should be compatible with fielded Raman devices and various wavelengths (785nm, 830nm, 1064nm). The project addresses the limitations of current handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. SERS offers increased sensitivity and selectivity, but variability in SERS signals across substrates poses a challenge. Proposals should focus on innovative solutions for substrate selection, design, fabrication, and consistent patterning on flexible coupons, targeting a range of battlefield threats like nerve agents and toxins. Phase I involves developing a comprehensive approach for substrate selection and patterning, with a plan for demonstrating enhancements. Phase II focuses on producing and testing prototype coupons, demonstrating performance with dilute chemical targets and operationally relevant mixtures. Phase III aims for the transition of this technology into advanced development for fielding across military services and proposes dual-use applications for entities like the Department of Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration for detecting toxic chemicals in cargo, mail, food, and counterfeit drugs.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous, flexible coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons will enable handheld Raman spectrometers to detect trace amounts of chemical and biological (CB) hazards from various surfaces, improving sensitivity and selectivity against impurities. The objective is to design tickets with multiple SERS substrates to target diverse CB threats like toxins and fentanyl analogs, compatible with 785nm, 830nm, and 1064nm wavelengths. This initiative aims to overcome current limitations of handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, and patterning, with a plan for demonstrating enhanced Raman identification. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons and demonstrating performance with dilute and operationally relevant chemical targets, requiring statistically useful variability data and a Bayesian limit-of-detection. Phase III will transition the technology for fielding across military services and commercial applications, including cargo screening, food safety, and counterfeit drug detection for entities like the Department of Homeland Security and the FDA.
    The government RFP "CBD254-006: Novel Sampling Tickets for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) of Chemical and Biological (CB) Threat Materials" seeks disruptive technologies for developing flexible, semi-porous SERS coupons. These coupons, designed with plasmonic nanoparticles, aim to enhance the detection of trace amounts of chemical and biological hazards like toxins and fentanyl analogs on various surfaces. The objective is to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman spectrometers, which currently struggle with bulk samples and mixtures. The project addresses challenges in SERS signal variability due to substrate fabrication and material homogeneity. Phase I focuses on selecting and patterning substrates for enhanced detection, while Phase II involves producing and demonstrating prototype coupons with statistically significant performance data. Phase III aims for rapid transition and fielding across military and government entities like the Department of Homeland Security and the FDA, with dual-use applications in cargo screening, food safety, and counterfeit drug detection.
    The Department of Defense seeks innovative solutions for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sampling tickets to detect trace amounts of chemical and biological (CB) threats. The objective is to develop flexible, semi-porous coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles for sampling from various surfaces. These tickets should include multiple SERS substrates to target diverse CB hazards, enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman spectrometers. Current devices struggle with trace detection and mixtures. The project aims to overcome SERS signal variability through advanced substrate design and consistent patterning on coupons. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, and patterning, with a plan for demonstrating enhanced detection. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons, demonstrating performance with dilute and mixed chemical targets, and delivering substrates for independent analysis. Phase III will transition the technology for military use and dual-use applications such as cargo screening, food safety, and counterfeit drug detection.
    The government RFP CBD254-006 seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous flexible coupons for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons aim to enhance the capabilities of handheld Raman spectrometers, enabling trace detection of chemical and biological (CB) threat materials like toxins and fentanyl analogs from various surfaces. Current devices struggle with trace detection and mixtures, and SERS offers increased sensitivity and selectivity without added power or sample preparation. The objective is to overcome SERS signal variability through innovative substrate selection, design, and consistent patterning on flexible coupons. Phase I focuses on comprehensive substrate approaches and demonstration plans, while Phase II involves producing patterned prototypes, demonstrating performance with dilute targets, and delivering substrates for independent analysis. Phase III anticipates the transition to advanced development for military, special operations, and National Guard forces, with dual-use applications for homeland security, customs, and food and drug safety.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous, flexible coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons would sample chemical and biological threat materials from various surfaces, expanding the capabilities of handheld Raman spectrometers from bulk detection to trace/residue analysis. The objective is to enhance sensitivity and selectivity against impurities, targeting multiple classes of hazards like toxins and fentanyl analogs. The coupons should be compatible with existing Raman devices and specific wavelengths (785nm, 830nm, 1064nm). The Department of Defense aims to overcome current limitations of handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. SERS offers a promising solution due to its low cost, weight, and power requirements. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, and patterning for enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons and demonstrating performance with dilute chemical targets and operationally relevant mixtures, including statistical variability data and a Bayesian limit-of-detection. Phase III aims for advanced development and fielding across various services and commercial dual-use applications, such as cargo screening for toxic chemicals by the Department of Homeland Security and testing for toxins in food by the Food and Drug Administration.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous flexible coupons for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons, made of materials like paper or polymer with plasmonic nanoparticles, would enable sampling from various surfaces in operational environments. The objective is to enhance existing handheld Raman spectrometers, moving from bulk detection to trace/residue analysis of chemical and biological (CB) hazards, including toxins and fentanyl analogs. The coupons should be compatible with fielded Raman devices and various wavelengths. The project addresses the limitations of current handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures, aiming to improve sensitivity and selectivity. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, and patterning on flexible coupons, with a plan for demonstrating enhanced Raman identification. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons and demonstrating their performance with dilute chemical targets and mixtures. Phase III aims for transition into advanced development for fielding across military services and commercial applications, including cargo screening, food safety, and counterfeit drug detection by organizations like the Department of Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration.
    The Department of Defense seeks innovative solutions for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sampling tickets to detect trace amounts of chemical and biological (CB) threat materials. The goal is to develop flexible, semi-porous coupons with plasmonic nanoparticles capable of sampling from various surfaces. These tickets should contain multiple SERS substrates to target different CB hazards, enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman spectrometers. Phase I focuses on substrate selection, fabrication, and patterning on flexible coupons, with a plan for demonstrating enhanced detection of target materials. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons, demonstrating performance with dilute chemical targets, and delivering substrates for independent analysis. Phase III will transition the technology for fielding across military services and commercial applications like cargo screening and food safety, addressing current limitations in bulk sample detection and selectivity in mixtures.
    The CBD254-006 topic seeks disruptive technologies for developing physically semi-porous, flexible coupons for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons would sample chemical and biological threat materials from various surfaces, expanding the capabilities of handheld Raman spectrometers to detect trace amounts of hazards and improve selectivity against impurities. The objective is to overcome current limitations of handheld Raman detectors, which require bulk samples and struggle with mixtures. Proposals should detail innovative, science-based approaches for selecting, designing, and patterning SERS substrates on flexible coupons, demonstrating enhanced selectivity and sensitivity for threat chemicals like nerve agents and toxins. The project is divided into phases, with Phase I focusing on comprehensive approaches and demonstration plans, Phase II on prototyping and performance validation, and Phase III on transitioning the technology for use by the Department of Defense and other entities like the Department of Homeland Security and the FDA for applications such as cargo screening and food safety.
    This government RFP, CBD254-006, seeks innovative solutions for developing physically semi-porous, flexible coupons for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). These coupons are intended to improve the detection of trace amounts of chemical and biological (CB) threat materials, such as toxins and fentanyl analogs, from various surfaces in operational environments. The objective is to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of existing handheld Raman spectrometers, which currently struggle with trace detection and mixtures. Proposals should focus on substrate selection, design, and consistent patterning on flexible coupons, providing scientific analysis of predicted enhancements. Phase I requires a comprehensive approach to substrate fabrication and a demonstration plan. Phase II involves producing prototype coupons and demonstrating performance with dilute and mixed chemical targets, requiring statistically significant data and delivery of substrates for independent analysis. Phase III will focus on transitioning the technology for fielding across military services and dual-use applications with entities like the Department of Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration.
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