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Trace analysis and chemical identification on cellulose nanofibers-textured SERS substrates using the "coffee ring" effect

Version 2 2024-06-06, 03:12
Version 1 2017-10-03, 15:14
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-06, 03:12 authored by R Chen, L Zhang, X Li, L Ong, YG Soe, N Sinsua, SL Gras, RF Tabor, X Wang, W Shen
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has the theoretical possibility of detecting chemicals at the single molecular level. This potential is frequently limited, however, by the critical requirements of the surface morphology and mechanical stability of SERS substrates. In this paper, we report a new method for fabricating a SERS substrate with a significantly improved mechanical stability and analytical sensitivity, using cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). We constructed a uniformly CNFs-textured substrate on a glass surface by means of suppressing the "coffee ring" effect of the CNF sessile drop and then introduced an AuNP suspension onto the CNFs-textured substrate by taking advantage of the "coffee ring" effect. A widened detection zone is formed by AuNPs on the CNFs-textured glass, producing a stable SERS substrate for trace analysis and chemical identification. Microscopic and spectroscopic characterizations of the CNF-AuNPs SERS substrate show that the CNFs enhance the stability of both the AuNP clusters and the SERS activity. The CNF-AuNPs SERS substrate is significantly more stable and sensitive than the SERS substrate fabricated by directly depositing the AuNP suspension on a smooth glass surface.

History

Journal

ACS Sensors

Volume

2

Pagination

1060-1067

Location

United States

ISSN

2379-3694

eISSN

2379-3694

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2017, American Chemical Society

Issue

7

Publisher

AMER CHEMICAL SOC