Cavity-Like Silver Aggregates-Based Colloidal SERS Microfluidic Platform for Highly Reproducible Online Reaction...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Process Analytical Technology (PAT) is crucial for chemical and biological production.
• There is a need for online PAT for rapid, sensitive detection of reaction intermediates to advance precise and green chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic platform for sensitive online monitoring of organic reaction intermediates.
• To address the limitations of current PAT methods in terms of speed and sensitivity for complex reactions.

Main Methods:

• Development of a cavity-like silver aggregate (Ag cavity) using a template-mediated method.
• Fabrication of a colloidal surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microfluidic platform incorporating the Ag cavities.
• Utilizing Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations and molecular adsorption measurements to characterize the platform's properties.

Main Results:

• The Ag cavity platform demonstrated a reproducible flow detection window in microfluidic channels.
• High SERS sensitivity was achieved due to increased electromagnetic fields and high surface area of the Ag cavities.
• The platform exhibited long-term stability and high reproducibility (RSD = 3.72%) for flow detection.
• Successful online monitoring and analysis of photodegradation intermediates of model antibiotics were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ag cavity-based SERS microfluidic platform offers sensitive and reproducible online monitoring of organic reaction intermediates.
• This technology advances online chemistry studies and provides a valuable tool for diverse organic production fields.
• The platform supports the goals of precise and green chemistry through enhanced reaction monitoring capabilities.