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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
10:49
Planar and Three-Dimensional Printing of Conductive Inks
Published on: December 9, 2011
Composition-Dependent SERS Responses of Structurally Related Dyes on Inkjet-Printed Paper Substrates with Gold and
Lucas M F Oliveira1, Anerise de Barros1, Edison Huertas-Montoya1
1Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química, Laboratório de Materiais Funcionais, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-970, Brasil.
ACS Omega
|August 8, 2026
Summary
This study shows gold nanoprisms offer better SERS reproducibility and stability than silver for detecting dyes. Nanoparticle composition significantly impacts surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectral analysis.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics and Nanomaterials
- Spectroscopy
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful technique for molecular detection.
- Developing stable and reproducible SERS substrates is crucial for practical applications.
- Paper-based substrates offer a low-cost and versatile platform for SERS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of nanoparticle composition (gold vs. silver triangular nanoprisms) on SERS response.
- To evaluate the performance of inkjet-printed paper-based SERS substrates for analyzing structurally similar dyes.
- To assess the spectral reproducibility, stability, and quantitative analysis capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and formulation of gold (AuTNPs) and silver (AgTNPs) triangular nanoprisms into printable inks.
- Inkjet printing of AuTNPs and AgTNPs onto hydrophobized chromatography paper.
- Characterization using SEM and optical methods; SERS analysis of crystal violet (CV) and malachite green (MG).
- Application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for multivariate analysis of dye mixtures.
Main Results:
- AuTNP-based substrates exhibited superior spectral reproducibility and storage stability compared to AgTNP-based ones.
- SERS spectra of CV and MG showed composition-dependent fingerprints, with AuTNPs yielding higher enhancement factors.
- ANN analysis of binary CV/MG mixtures achieved low mean prediction errors, demonstrating quantitative analysis capability.
- Nanoparticle composition critically influences SERS spectral features and discrimination of related molecules.
Conclusions:
- Inkjet-printed paper-based SERS substrates with gold nanoprisms provide enhanced performance.
- Nanoparticle composition is a key factor in optimizing SERS for sensitive and selective molecular analysis.
- Combining different plasmonic nanostructures on printed substrates improves spectroscopic discrimination and quantification.
