Highly sensitive SERS platform with analyte enrichment for multiplex organic pollutants detection in river water

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique is the most promising methods for detecting trace amounts of analytes owing to its high molecular specificity and high sensitivity. Here, we make an integrated SERS platform consisted of plasmonic nanoparticles with high-intensity SERS hotspots and slippery polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. The urchin-like silver nanoparticles (AgNUs) have numerous branched structures and nanogaps, providing intense SERS hotspots. The PDMS surfaces with analyte enrichment was prepared using a simple UV photocatalytic method without catalysts. The optimized SERS platform detects crystal violet molecules at 0.1 pM in ethanol solution, using 5 μL of analyte, with an enhancement factor as high as 1.29 × 10¹⁰. Furthermore, it exhibits multiplex detections of trace organic pollutants in river water samples. This study presents versatile SERS sensing platform with analyte enrichment, potential for highly sensitive identification of interest analytes in complex environments.