Flexible, and cost-effective 3D nano-cauliflower SERS substrate for antibiotics detection on curved surfaces

A simple, sensitive, and cost-effective SERS substrate preparation method is introduced, leveraging plasmonics-active gold nanostars (GNS) on commercially available hydrophobic adhesive tape to create a 3D plasmonic nano-cauliflower (PNC) architecture. Using the optimized SERS-active PNC substrate (PNC-5), we achieved ultra-low detection limits of 3.3 nM for ciprofloxacin (CIP) and 1.5 nM for ampicillin (AMP) antibiotics. Our PNC platform exhibits exceptional stability for over six months and outstanding reproducibility with an RSD of less than 5%. Moreover, the PNC platform enables direct detection of CIP and AMP on chicken wing surfaces without any sample pre-treatment. These features underscore its great potential for rapid, on-site food safety and homeland security monitoring.