Participating Countries and International Organizations:
Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom. 

Scientific Programme:
Modern trends in Raman-based microspectroscopy providing ultrasensitive, highly-contrast and selective tools for condensed matter studies of extremely low concentrations of analyte molecules are in the focus of the present research programme. Detection and identification of a single molecule represent the ultimate sensitivity limit in chemical analysis. Tracking and counting of single molecules, characterizing their chemical structures, and monitoring of their structural changes offer far-reaching opportunities in basic and applied research. Therefore, vibrational spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, as a non-invasive, label-free technique, i_4es a powerful and preferred tool for single biological molecule studies. To achieve this goal, two enhanced options of Raman scattering, namely CARS (coherent antiStokes Raman spectroscopy) and SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) will be combined to attain such an ultrasensitive level of detection – poorly studied and known as SECARS – surface-enhanced CARS. 

The other modern component of the theme is the study of photo- and upconversion luminescence based on promising core-shell nanostructures. In recent years, core-shell nanoparticles are at the leading edge of hot research topics and offer a wide range of applications in biomedicine, optics, environmental science, materials, and so forth, due to their excellent properties such as versatility, tunability and stability. The core?shell nanomaterials containing noble metals are plasmonic core?shell nanomaterials. They can be employed for contrast imaging, several biomedical applications, etc.} 

Expected main results in 2018:

• Upgrade of the "CARS" microspectrometer software "NanoSP" under the ultrasensitive modality SECARS. 
  
  
• Tests of various configurations of SERS-active substrates to ensure an optimal selection for the effective SECARS spectroscopy.
  
  
• Obtaining and analysis of SERS and SECARS spectra and intensity maps of light scattered from organic reporter molecules attached to gold/silver nanoparticle. 
  
  
• Data on structural and spectroscopic/luminescent properties of core-shell nanostructure: NaYF₄:Yb ³⁺, Er ³⁺,Tm ³⁺@SiO₂. 
  
  
• Revealing of features of Raman spectra from C6 glioma cells and mesenchymal stem cells in regular studies.