Au-Decorated Dragonfly Wing Bioscaffold Arrays as Flexible Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrate for Simultaneous Determination of Pesticide Residues

Abstract

Rapid sampling and multicomponent analysis are vital in pesticide residue detection. In this work, we proposed a SERS platform to detect three kinds of pesticides on apple peels simultaneously by a straightforward “press and peel off” method. The flexible Au/dragonfly wing (Au/DW) substrate was obtained from sputtering Au nanoislands on DW bioscaffold arrays by a simple direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system. The high-performance substrate exhibited a low limit of detection (LOD) to 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) (10−9 M), outstanding reproducibility (less than 12.15%), good stability and suitability in multifold pesticide residues detection. Considering its excellent sample collection efficiency, the Au/DW substrate was employed to solve critical pesticide residue problems for detection of acephate (APT), cypermethrin (CPT), tsumacide (MTMC) and their multiple components on apple peels. The results show that the LOD was 10−3 ng/cm2 for APT obtained on the apple surface with a calculation equation of y = 0.26x + 6.68 and a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.970. Additionally, the LOD values for CPT and MTMC were 10−3 ng/cm2 and 10−4 ng/cm2, respectively. The finding in this work may provide a promising biomimetic SERS platform for on-spot detection of other organic pollutants in the food industry and inenvironmental protection.

Immobilization and 3D Hot-Junction Formation of Gold Nanoparticles on Two-Dimensional Silicate Nanoplatelets as Substrates for High-Efficiency Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection

“…Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was first reported by Hendra, Fleischmann, and McQuillan [1], who studied the adsorption of pyridine onto roughened silver. The technique has since been widely used in biological [2], medical [3,4], environmental engineering [5], materials science [6,7], and quality analysis applications [8] because it offers increased Raman intensity by several orders of magnitude. Further, it offers sufficient sensitivity for single-molecule detection [9] and trace chemical analysis [10].…”

Rapid Multi-Residue Detection Methods for Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs

“…Different broadly specific recognition elements have been prepared and applied for simultaneous analysis. In addition, enzymatic inhibition-based sensors, NIR spectroscopy, and [115]. (B) a.…”

“…For practical applications, flexible SERS substrates consisting of SERS active nanomaterials and flexible solid substrates are useful for the detection of surface residues. Wang et al [ 115 ] constructed an Au-decorated dragonfly wing bioscaffold array as a flexible SERS substrate for the detection of three kinds of pesticides. The SERS substrate, fabricated by a 3D biomimetic array with high-density hot spots, showed greatly enhanced Raman activity ( Figure 6 A).…”

“…Photograph of the Ag/NC substrate [117]. Reproduced with permission from [115]. Copyright MDPI, 2018.…”

“… ( A ) Illustration of an au-decorated dragonfly wing bioscaffold array as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate by the Raman system [ 115 ]. ( B ) a.…”