A portable paper-based surface enhanced Raman scattering platform for Al³⁺ sensing.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Aluminum ions (Al3+) pose health risks, necessitating sensitive detection methods.
• Portable and in-situ detection platforms are crucial for Al3+ monitoring.
• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers high sensitivity for ion detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel SERS platform for ultra-sensitive Al3+ detection.
• To create a portable, paper-based substrate for in-situ Al3+ analysis.
• To investigate the role of histidine and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid in Al3+ sensing.

Main Methods:

• Co-assembly of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with histidine (His) and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA).
• Utilizing the aggregation effect of His-modified Au NPs induced by Al3+ ions.
• Fabrication of paper-based plasmonic strips for SERS analysis.

Main Results:

• The His-4-MBA-Au NP platform achieved a high enhancement factor of 9.77 × 10^6 on paper strips.
• A low limit of detection (LOD) of 7.38 nM for Al3+ was established.
• The platform demonstrated good repeatability and effectiveness in real sample analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed SERS platform enables highly sensitive and portable detection of Al3+ ions.
• Paper-based plasmonic strips offer superior SERS performance for Al3+ sensing.
• This technology holds significant potential for on-the-spot environmental and health monitoring of Al3+.