Synthesis of a capillary surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate integrating sampling and detection based on...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers high sensitivity for chemical detection.
• Developing integrated sampling and detection substrates is crucial for on-site environmental monitoring.
• Meniscus-driven self-assembly is a promising technique for fabricating nanostructured materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel capillary SERS substrate for integrated sampling and detection.
• To investigate the fabrication parameters influencing silver nanoparticle deposition.
• To evaluate the substrate's performance in detecting environmental pollutants.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a capillary SERS substrate (Meniscus@AgNPs@Capillary) using meniscus evaporation self-assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
• Optimization of fabrication parameters including evaporation temperature, self-assembly time, silver sol concentration, and capillary length.
• SERS enhancement evaluation using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a Raman probe.
• Application of the optimized substrate for detecting polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and antibiotics.

Main Results:

• Successfully arranged AgNPs on the inner capillary wall via meniscus evaporation.
• Identified optimal fabrication conditions for enhanced SERS performance.
• Achieved limits of detection of 10 µg/L for PSNPs and 1 µg/L for antibiotics.
• Demonstrated the substrate's effectiveness for on-site environmental pollutant detection.

Conclusions:

• The Meniscus@AgNPs@Capillary substrate offers a facile, sensitive, and integrated approach for SERS analysis.
• The developed method enables on-site sampling and testing of environmental pollutants.
• This technology holds potential for rapid and efficient environmental monitoring.