Triboelectric-enhanced self-powered E-SERS sensor for ultrasensitive detection of environmental pollutants

To achieve more efficient energy collection and conversion as well as enhanced surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effects, an electrically modulated SERS (E-SERS) sensor with triboelectric enhancement effects has been successfully designed. This sensor ingeniously integrates polyethyleneimine-functionalized potassium sodium niobate (KNN-PEI) and polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-TrFE) materials via electrospinning technology, and is loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to construct a PVDF-TrFE/KNN-PEI/Ag composite fiber membrane. Research has confirmed that the sensor can generate triboelectric potential under the contact friction at the copper foil interface. This potential act directly on the Ag NPs, thereby enhancing the local electromagnetic field. This effectively increases the Raman intensity of probe molecules such as methyl orange (MO) and crystal violet (CV), and enables ultrasensitive detection of tetracycline (TC) antibiotics and Cr (VI) heavy metal pollutant residues in lake water.