Stable, Flexible, and High-Performance SERS Chip Enabled by a Ternary Film-Packaged Plasmonic Nanoparticle Array.

Area of Science:

• Plasmonics
• Nanomaterials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) requires sensitive and stable plasmonic substrates for practical applications.
• Detecting chemical contaminants like thiabendazole (TBZ) in food necessitates robust analytical methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable, high-performance SERS chip for sensitive detection of TBZ residues in fruit juices.
• To investigate the role of a ternary film packaging in enhancing the SERS substrate's performance and stability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a ternary film-packaged, silver-coated gold-nanoparticle (Au@Ag NP) plasmonic array.
• Utilized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), qPCR film, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films for substrate templating, carrier function, and stability enhancement.
• Applied the SERS chip for detecting TBZ in various fruit juice samples.

Main Results:

• Achieved a high enhancement factor of 3.14 × 10^6.
• Demonstrated long-term storage stability (>2 months at room temperature) without signal degradation.
• Low limits of detection for TBZ in pear (21 ppb), orange (43 ppb), and grape (69 ppb) juices were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed Au@Ag/PMMA/qPCR-PET film SERS chip offers high sensitivity and excellent stability for TBZ detection.
• The ternary film packaging strategy provides a robust and easily fabricated platform for SERS applications.
• This work presents a promising approach for developing flexible sensors for on-site monitoring of food contaminants.