A Flexible AgNPs-PDMS Substrate to Produce Ultrasensitive SERS Detection

Abstract

In this paper, we proposed a simple Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) detection method for the possible pesticide residues on fruit surfaces. 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) is used to modify Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes. The PDMS was attached to the fruit epidermis to adsorb the substance, and then the SERS test was performed to analyze whether the epidermis had pesticide residues. In the present study, the AgNPs were modified using the Tollens synthesis method while glucose was set to be the reducing agent, and the AgNPs were synthesized into a uniform size of 20-50nm. In this study, we fabricated a simple flexible SERS substructure, which achieved the detection limits of R6G and Thiram at 10−8 M. In the future, our work can be extended to biomedical applications, or focusing on the characteristic substances that may threaten the national defense and security, which has a broad application scenario.