Everything, everywhere, all at once: Micro- and nano-fabrication for sensitive, homogeneous and spatio-temporally-resolved Raman and infrared spectroscopy sensors

The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate and develop various micro- and nano-fabrication tools to create Raman and infrared active substrates for in situ probing of catalysts under their native reaction conditions. In order to achieve this, these substrates were designed to provide high enhancement factors with minimal variance, enabling sensitive and homogeneous detection of catalytic reactions. Furthermore, the sensors were also designed to facilitate spatio-temporal characterization of the catalytic processes by acquiring kinetic information. The main focus of this thesis was on the fabrication of these devices to deliver sensitive, homogeneous and spatio-temporally resolved sensors. Proof of concept was provided using model chemical reactions with an aim to apply these systems for probing catalytic reactions.