Versatile Silver Nanoparticles-Based SERS Substrate with High Sensitivity and Stability

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering has developed into a mature analytical technique useful in various applications; however, the reproducible fabrication of a portable SERS substrate with high sensitivity and good uniformity is still an ongoing pursuit. Reported herein is a rapid fabrication method of an inexpensive SERS substrate that enables sub-nanomolar detection of molecular analytes. The SERS substrate is obtained by application of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs)-based ink in precisely design patterns with the aid of an in-house assembled printer equipped with a user-fillable pen. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations show a 155-times Ag NP electric field enhancement for Ag nanoparticle pairs with particle spacing of 2 nm. By comparing the SERS performance of SERS substrate made with different support matrices and fabrication methods, the PET-printed substrate shows optimal performance, with an estimated sensitivity enhancement factor of 107. The quantitative analysis of rhodamine 6G absorbed on optimized SERS substrate exhibits a good linear relationship, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9998, between the SERS intensity at 610 cm−1 and the concentration in the range of 0.1 nM—1μM. The practical low limit detection of R6G is 10 pM. The optimized SERS substrates show good stability (at least one month) and have been effectively tested in the detection of cancer drugs, including doxorubicin and metvan.

Improving optical properties of blue emission perovskite by plasmonic enhancement

“…For example, Liu et al obtained a highly efficient and stable blue light emitting diode by surface passivation of CsPbBr3 nanosheets with multifunctional organic sulfates, which significantly enhanced the PLQY [15] . Shen et al introduced 4aminobenzenesulfonic acid (SA) to passivate blue CsPbBr3 nanoplates (NPLs) to reduce ion migration through more stable Pb 2+ -SO3 --formation, achieving a 50% reduction in the trap state density of the film [16] . Yang et al made CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots with uniform PLQY and excellent stability by passivating CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots with polyvinylidene fluoride [17] .…”

Dendrimer stabilized nanoalloys for inkjet printing of surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates

“…This printing technique is also versatile concerning the types of substrates employed, for example by allowing the deposition of nanopatterned structures using standard office paper with refillable cartridges [10] and the large-scale fabrication of sensors of varying chemical composition on different types of materials (e.g., cellulose fibres, silicon wafers or glass surfaces) [11][12][13][14][15][16]. In particular, the paper is highly attractive to develop sensing platforms since it offers several advantages such as flexibility, portability, low cost and recyclability [17,18]. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for molecular screening in several fields such as environmental analysis, food safety, biomedicine, and others [19][20][21].…”