PVP-mediated galvanic replacement growth of AgNPs on copper foil for SERS sensing

• Published in: Micro & nano letters 2020-08, Vol.15 (9), p.590-594
• Main Authors: Xiang Wu, Hui, Cong Rong, Ming, Ma, Yi, Duo Chen, Shan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AgNP‐based SERS sensor; biosensors; chemical sensors; Copper; copper foil; cost‐effective silver nanoparticles; Detection; detection limit; Environmental protection; galvanic displacement reaction; high Raman signal enhancement factor; Metal foils; Methyl parathion; methyl parathion‐spiked lake water samples; nanocomposites; nanofabrication; Nanoparticles; nanosensors; optical sensors; optimised AgNO3 concentration; polyvinyl pyrrolidone; PVP‐mediated galvanic replacement growth; Raman spectra; Rhodamine 6G; Room temperature; scanning electron microscopy; Sensors; silver; Silver nitrate; surface enhanced Raman scattering; Surface water; temperature 293.0 K to 298.0 K; Water sampling; X‐ray diffraction
• ISSN: 1750-0443; 1750-0443
• DOI: 10.1049/mnl.2020.0148

Herein, the authors present a simple and cost-effective silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor based on galvanic displacement reaction using AgNO3 and copper foil as precursors. With the mediation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), AgNPs grow in-situ on the surface of copper foil at room temperature. AgNPs-based SERS sensor was prepared with optimised AgNO3 concentration of 50 mM, the mass ratio of AgNO3 to PVP of 2:1 and characterised using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. As-fabricated SERS sensor exhibited a high Raman signal enhancement factor of 3.5 × 105 in the detection of Rhodamine 6G (R6G). Furthermore, a decent linear relationship for methyl parathion sensing was obtained in the range from 1 × 10−6 to 1 × 10−4 M, with an actual detection limit of 1 × 10−6 M. Recoveries of methyl parathion-spiked lake water samples ranging from 93.64 to 106.16% were obtained, suggesting the feasibility of the SERS sensor. These features demonstrated that the AgNPs-based SERS sensor can potentially be used in sensing a trace amount of chemicals in surface water for environmental protection.