Issue 7, 2021

A facile wet-chemistry approach to engineer an Au-based SERS substrate and enhance sensitivity down to ppb-level detection

Abstract

A two-dimensional flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) filter substrate provides an alternative strategy for the highly sensitive portable detection of various toxic molecules and biomaterials. Herein, we developed a solid–liquid interfacial reduction reaction to post-engineer a solid Au nanostructure surface on filter paper to improve the SERS effect. Among four reductants (ascorbic acid, L-dopamine, hydroquinone (HQ), and formaldehyde), HQ possessed a larger oxidation overpotential and facilitated homogeneous growth, forming small Au branch-structure nanoparticles from HAuCl4 solution. Due to the surface effect by exposing abundant –OH groups and intrinsic aromatic rings from TNA/HQ on nano-gold, the SERS effect on positively charged analytes near the plasmonic Au surface was enhanced, while forming a protective layer against severe water interruption. The resulting SERS substrate with branched nano-gold provided several SERS-enhanced sites, increased the enhancement by more than 6 times compared to original SERS sensing, and displayed a 1.4–7.4 × 105 analytical enhancement factor, which leads to a limit of detection down to several ppb. Less than 6% of deviation in the SERS intensity at different sensing sites was observed. We successfully improved the primary SERS substrate using a high overpotential reductant. Owing to its soft and flexible properties, the paper-based SERS substrate can be used conveniently in different sizes, pasting on curved materials, detecting additives in fish, and preventing the coffee-ring effect, showing high practicality and potential commercial value in the future.

Graphical abstract: A facile wet-chemistry approach to engineer an Au-based SERS substrate and enhance sensitivity down to ppb-level detection

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Sept. 2020
Accepted
04 Janv. 2021
First published
05 Janv. 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 3991-3999

A facile wet-chemistry approach to engineer an Au-based SERS substrate and enhance sensitivity down to ppb-level detection

C. Lee, Z. C. Chia, Y. Hsieh, H. Tsai, Y. Tai, T. Yu and C. Huang, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 3991 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR06537D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements