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Preparation of 3D flexible SERS substrates by mixing gold nanorods in hydrogels for the detection of malachite green and crystal violet

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Abstract

A simple and cost-effective fabrication method of gold nanorods (AuNRs) nanoparticles hybridized with polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (AuNR/PVA) for SERS substrate is described. The AuNR/PVA achieves the control of inter-particle nanogap by modulating the density of gold nanorods, and inter-particle nanogap by the spatial deformation of the hydrogel, and the reduction of the gap between the AuNRs deposited on hydrogel makes the SERS enhancement. In addition, the AuNR/PVA substrate maintains high SERS activity after more than 100 cycles of bending and storage in air for 30 days, and the substrate possesses high sensitivity and high reproducibility. Combining a flexible and transparent surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for in situ detection with a small portable Raman can be applied to scenarios such as environmental detection and hazardous materials detection. The substrate showed excellent SERS activity against malachite green (MG) and crystal violet (CV) with limits of detection of 1.18 × 10−13 M and 7.17 × 10−12 M, respectively. The usability of the proposed SERS substrate was demonstrated by detecting the above contaminants in aquatic water. This work not only utilizes a cost-effective method for mass production but also provides a reliable and convenient platform for the preparation of other noble metal flexible substrates.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors, (Y. L. and R. Y.), upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the Program for Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2023J01502), the Guiding Project supported by the Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology (no. 2020Y0019), the Industry–University Cooperation Project of Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology (2020N5006), the Fushimei Agricultural and Rural Maker Space (Minke Xing [2019] no. 2), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in Science and Technology in Fujian Province University, National Natural Science Foundation of China (61975031).

Funding

We are very grateful to the Program for Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2023J01502), the Guiding Project supported by the Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology (no. 2020Y0019), the Industry–University Cooperation Project of Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology (2020N5006), the Fushimei Agricultural and Rural Maker Space (Minke Xing [2019] no. 2), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in Science and Technology in Fujian Province University, National Natural Science Foundation of China (61975031).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Oriented Chemical Engineer, Fujian Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, Engineering Research Center of Industrial Biocatalysis, Fujian Province Higher Education Institutes, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, Fujian, China

    Shuyan Ruan, Wenxi Wang, Liting Qiu, Xin Yan, Zhihua Peng, Yunzhen Liu, Yudong Lu & Ruiyun You

  2. Integrated Technique Services Center of Dong Shan Customs, Zhangzhou, 363401, Fujian, China

    Huina Zhu

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  1. Shuyan Ruan
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Contributions

Shuyan Ruan: collected experimental samples, formal analysis, analyzed the experimental data, writing—review and editing, writing—original draft, and data curation. Wenxi Wang and Shuyan Ruan are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work. Wenxi Wang: collected experimental samples, performed the experiments, and analyzed the experimental data. Liting Qiu analyzed the experimental data. Xin Yan: formal analysis. Huina Zhu: resources. Yunzhen Liu: supervision. Yudong Lu: funding acquisition. Ruiyun You checked and proofread the experiments and papers.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yunzhen Liu or Ruiyun You.

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Highlight

1. Development of SERS-activated hydrogels by cyclic freeze-thaw development using PVA and gold nanorods.

2. The substrate exhibits high sensitivity and stability, good reproducibility, and high sensitivity.

3. The substrate has good mechanical properties and flexibility, which can be used for practical testing and shows good results.

Shuyan Ruan and Wenxi Wang are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work.

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Ruan, S., Wang, W., Qiu, L. et al. Preparation of 3D flexible SERS substrates by mixing gold nanorods in hydrogels for the detection of malachite green and crystal violet. Microchim Acta 191, 205 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-024-06284-6

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