Preparation of hydrophobic cellulose acetate–Ag as a SERS platform to detect Rhodamine 6G

Abstract

Inspired by the fast-developing surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platforms, low-cost, large-scale and biodegradable cellulose acetate–silver (Ag) SERS-active substrates were synthesized by depositing Ag films on the surface of hydrophobic cellulose acetate fibers. It is found that the wettability of the as-prepared SERS substrates can be tailored by varying the Ag thickness on the surface of cellulose acetate fibers. Moreover, the unique hydrophobicity of cellulose acetate–Ag ensures that Rhodamine 6G condenses into a high local concentration on its surface, which facilitates the enhancement and resolution of the SERS signal. Under conditions of high hydrophobicity of the sample, a thicker Ag film is more conducive to enhancing the Raman signal of Rhodamine 6G. The optimized SERS-active substrate can detect Rhodamine 6G at concentrations as low as 10⁻⁸ M. This study provides a new approach for the application of biodegradable materials in SERS.