Perfluorodecanethiol-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles on Polyester Films as High-Performance Surface-Enhanced...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Current surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates struggle with analyte enrichment from complex matrices, limiting detection sensitivity.
• Developing highly sensitive and practical SERS substrates is crucial for detecting trace amounts of substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and evaluate a novel super hydrophobic membrane as a SERS substrate for enhanced analyte detection.
• To investigate the influence of surface functionalization on SERS performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a super hydrophobic membrane on polyester (PET) films using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) functionalized with perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT).
• Optimization of AgNP loading on PET films and PFDT functionalization parameters (concentration, reaction time).
• Correlation analysis between the hydrophobic properties of the fabricated film and its SERS performance.

Main Results:

• The PET@Ag-PFDT film exhibited significantly enhanced SERS performance compared to unmodified substrates.
• A two-orders-of-magnitude improvement in SERS performance was observed.
• A detection limit for folic acid as low as 5 × 10^-10 M was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed super hydrophobic PET@Ag-PFDT membrane is a highly effective SERS substrate for sensitive analyte detection.
• The hydrophobic nature and optimized functionalization are key to the enhanced SERS capabilities.
• This novel substrate shows promise for practical applications requiring high detection sensitivity in complex media.