[Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their application in SERS]

In the present paper, we have successfully synthesized silver nancomparticles by reducing of silver nitrate in alkaline solution via 60 degrees C water bath for 20 minutes with the use of tyrosine, a nontoxic and green macromolecule, as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The formation of silver nanoparticles was observed visually by color change of the solutions (from faint yellow to brown yellow). The morphologies of the Ag NPs were characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-Vis absorption peak of silver nanoparticles located at 412 nm. The TEM image of silver nanoparticles indicated that the diameters of nanospheres are mainly in the range 15-25 nm. In order to evaluate the SERS activity of the silver nancomparticles, crystal violet and folic acid were used as the Raman probe molecule. The experimental results indicated that there are two ascendancies, firstly, the approach is convenient and the reaction condition is facile, secondly, tyrosine is a water-soluble, nontoxic and biodegradable macromolecule, which makes this approach provide a green strategy to prepare Ag NPs. Significantly, the synthesized Ag NPs exhibits good surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity as SERS substrates to detect crystal violet and folic acid in aqueous solution.