Fourier filtering ultraviolet laser ablation SERS for the analysis of yellow lakes

Abstract Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has been extensively used for the analysis of red dyes and lakes in works of art when other techniques cannot be applied, due to its high sensitivity and minimum sample requirement. In this work, we report for the first time the application of UV laser ablation SERS (UV-LA-SERS) coupled with a novel fast Fourier transform filtering approach to the analysis of flavonoid-based yellow lakes. This technique combines laser desorption as a sampling method and SERS as a read out. The samples investigated range in composition from weld to Buckthorn berries and quercitron. UV-LA-SERS proved successful even for the detection of an historical yellow lake sample. This achievement opens the way toward spatially resolved SERS detection of yellow lakes in sample taken from works of art.