Enhancing the Performance of Planar SERS Sensors with Pyroelectrohydrodynamic Jet Printing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Conventional methods for fabricating surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensors, such as drop-casting, often lack performance and reproducibility.
• There is a need for advanced fabrication techniques to produce stable, high-performance SERS sensors cost-effectively and at scale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an alternative fabrication method for planar SERS sensors using pyro-electrohydrodynamic jet printing (p-jet) technology.
• To evaluate the performance, uniformity, and stability of SERS sensors produced by p-jet microprinting.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of stable gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with an average diameter of 16 ± 2 nm.
• Fabrication of two types of SERS sensors using p-jet technology: one on a glass substrate with a corona pattern, and another on a dithiol-functionalized gold substrate.
• Evaluation of SERS activity using p-Mercaptoaniline (pMA) and characterization via Raman imaging and statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• The p-jet printed sensors demonstrated intense and reproducible SERS spectra when tested with pMA.
• Raman imaging confirmed uniform nanoparticle distribution, consistent SERS activity, and excellent sensor stability.
• Statistical analysis revealed high reproducibility in sensor dimensions and shapes.

Conclusions:

• Pyro-electrohydrodynamic jet printing (p-jet) is a promising, cost-effective, stable, and scalable method for fabricating high-performance SERS sensors.
• The developed p-jet microprinting technique offers enhanced performance compared to conventional methods, suitable for diverse analytical applications.