Highly reusable nanoporous silver sheet for sensitive SERS detection of pesticides. Issue 15 (7th July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chi, Huanyu; Wang, Congcheng; Wang, Zhien; Zhu, Hongni; Mesias, Vince St. Dollente; Dai, Xin; Chen, Qing; Liu, Wei; Huang, Jinqing
• Is Part Of: Analyst. Volume 145:Issue 15(2020)
• Page Start: 5158
• Page End: 5165
• Publication Date: 2020-07-07
• Subjects: Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; 543
• DOI: 10.1039/d0an00999g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-2654

Abstract

Abstract : Reusing nanoporous Ag sheets 20 times after simple ultrasonic cleaning for sensitive SERS detection of organochlorine pesticides. Abstract : Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enables pesticide detection at the point-of-need, but its practical application is limited by expensive and disposable SERS substrates. Here, we report a reusable nanoporous silver (NPAg) sheet for the SERS detection of organochlorine pesticides, aiming to maximize the cost-efficiency of substrate regeneration. The NPAg sheet is prepared by a reduction-induced decomposition method without chemical induced random aggregations. This SERS substrate is sensitive to various analytes regardless of their affinity to a metal surface such as rhodamine B, dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), and lindane due to its large surface area and the coral rock-like morphology. The SERS signal of lindane, a typical organochlorine pesticide, is identified and quantified with a minimum detectable concentration of 3 × 10 −7 M (87 ppb), which is below the maximum residue limits in various foods set by the regulators across the world. More importantly, after a few minutes of ultrasonic cleaning in water, the NPAg sheet can be reused at least 20 times with a reproducible SERS activity. Furthermore, the NPAg sheet remains stable in terms of its sensitivity and reusability after several months of bare strorage. Therefore, the NPAg sheet as a SERS substrate holds great promise for mass production and convenient applications in low-cost pesticide analysis.