Preparation of a Novel SERS Platform Based on Mantis Wing with High-Density and Multi-Level “Hot Spots”

Abstract

The recent development of SERS substrates based on irregular nanostructures for directly molecule recognition has aroused increasing attention. By combining the irregular flake-like nanostructures of mantis wings, high SERS performance of Ag nanofilms, and the chemical stability of Au nanoparticles (NPs), an ultra-sensitive and flexible SERS substrate based on Au NPs functionalized Ag nanofilms-mantis wings (Au-Ag-M.w.) hybrid system is successfully fabricated. When 4-aminothiophenol is selected as the probe molecule, the limit of detection (LOD) is as low as 10−13 M and the relative standard deviation (RSD) is lower than 7.15%. This novel SERS platform exhibits high SERS performance in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and practicability mainly because there are high-density and multi-level “hot spots” in the appropriate nanogaps. Meanwhile, it also systematically compares the differences of the SERS performance of Cu and Ag decorated M.w. hybrids and how these differences can alter their response. Moreover, the proposed substrate is employed to rapidly detect the pesticide residues on apple peels and the LOD for cypermethrin is estimated at 10−10 mg/mL. Therefore, this novel SERS substrate has great potential in rapid sampling of pesticide residues on real samples and expands the investigation to other natural materials for fabricating various SERS platforms.

Fabrication of uniform arrays of silver nanoparticles on silicon by electrodeposition in ethanol solution and their use in SERS detection of difenoconazole pesticide

“…It is generally accepted that the RSD of less than 20% for the variation in the Raman signal intensity is an indicator for a SERS substrate with good uniformity or reproducibility. 27 In this study the characteristic band of the DFC at 808 cm À1 was selected to examine the variation of the Raman signal intensity. Calculations showed that for 15 random spots on the same AgNPs substrate (Fig.…”

Rapid Quantitative Determination of Multiple Pesticide Residues in Mango Fruits by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

“…The Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as an SERS substrate and were observed with enhanced Raman signal for rapid detection of difenoconazole in grapes [15] Besides, numerous scientific studies have recently shown that some natural materials display unique surface superhydrophobicity owing to their hierarchical micro nanostructures, thus showing potential in low-cost SERS applications [16]. Biomaterials from rose petal [17,18], taro leaf [19], mantis wings [20], or butterfly wings [21] were easily treated with noble metals that exhibited outstanding SERS effects for multiple-molecule simultaneous identification with a very low limit of detection (LOD) (10 −8 -10 −10 mg/mL). However, using natural materials, such as rose petals, has been observed with great difficulties due to its short storage time, leading to a lack of initiative for SERS application.…”