Ag nanoparticles decorated Ag@ZrO2 composite nanospheres as highly active SERS substrates for quantitative detection of hexavalent chromium in waste water

Unveiling the Dual-Enhancing Mechanisms of Kinetically Controlled Silver Nanoparticles on Piezoelectric PVDF Nanofibers for Optimized SERS Performance

Noble metal nanoparticle (NMP)-based composite substrates have garnered significant attention as a highly promising technique for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in diverse scientific disciplines because their remarkable ability to amplify and functionalize Raman signals has positioned them as valuable tools for molecular detection. However, optimizing the size and distribution of NMPs has not received sufficient emphasis because of challenges associated with the precise control of deposition and the modulation of reducing rates during growth. In this research, we achieved the optimized size and spatial patterns of AgNWs on electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers by utilizing a polydopamine (PDA) layer as a mild and controllable reduction mediator, by which the size and density of the AgNWs could be relatively precisely manipulated, achieving a dense distribution of effective "hot spots". On the other hand, harnessing the inherent piezoelectric properties of the electrospun PVDF nanofibers further boosted the LSPR effect during the SERS test, forming a flexible dual-enhancing composite SERS substrate with excellent sensitivity. In addition to addressing structural aspects, exploiting synergistic systems capable of transferring external energy or forces to enhance the SERS performances presents a compelling avenue to broaden the practical applications of SERS. The dual-enhanced substrate achieved an exceptional enhancement factor (EF) of 1.05 × 108 and a low detection limit (LOD) of 10-10 M during the SERS test. This study focuses on integrating NMPs with electrospun piezoelectric polymer nanofibers to develop a dual-enhancing SERS substrate with excellent sensitivity and practicality. The findings provide valuable insights into controllably depositing NMPs on electrospun polymer fibers and hold significant implications for the development of highly sensitive and practical SERS substrates across various applications.

AgTNP@TiO2@Ag core-satellite composites for sensitive sensing and in situ monitoring photodegradation of organic dyes by portable Raman spectrometer

The development of sensitive, reliable, and robust substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) heavily relies on the creation of numerous hot spots. In this study, we propose a simple approach to fabricate core-satellite composites composed of AgTNP@TiO2@Ag, where Ag triangular nanoplates (AgTNPs) act as the cores, TiO2 serves as the interlayer, and Ag nanoparticles are deposited around them to form Ag satellites. By adjusting the amount of AgNO3, we precisely control the coverage of Ag nanoparticles on AgTNP@TiO2@Ag, thus fine-tuning their SERS sensitivity. Various characterization techniques were employed to examine their composition, morphology, and crystal structure. Thanks to the abundant hot spots created by the Ag satellites, these composites exhibit significantly enhanced SERS sensitivity and they demonstrate the capability to detect methylene blue (MB) at a concentration of 10-10 M by portable Raman spectrometer. Moreover, the AgTNP@TiO2@Ag composites effectively enable in situ SERS monitoring of the photodegradation reaction of MB. Overall, the novel AgTNP@TiO2@Ag composites prepared in this study exhibit high SERS sensitivity and excellent photocatalytic performance, making them highly valuable for environmental detection and ecological restoration purposes.

Discrimination of resected glioma tissues using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and Au@ZrO2 plasmonic nanosensor

Gliomas present one of the most prevalent malignant tumors related to the central nervous system. Surgical extraction is still a preferred route for glioma treatment. Nonetheless, neurosurgeons still have a considerable challenge to detect actual margins of the targeted glioma intraoperatively and correctly because of its great natural infiltration. Here we evaluated the possibility of using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to analyze freshly resected brain tissues. The developed method is based on the application of Au@ZrO2 nanosensor. The plasmonic properties of the sensor were first tested on the analysis of Rhodamine 6G, where concentrations down to 10-7 mol/L can be successfully detected. We also compared the performance of the nanosensor with silver plasmonic nanoparticles, where similar results were obtained regarding the reduction of the fluorescence background and enhancement of the intensity of the measured analytical signal. However, application of silver nanospheres led to increased variations in spectral data due to its probable aggregation. Applied ZrO2@Au nanosensor thus dramatically lowers the fluorescence present in the Raman data, and considerably improves the quality of the measured signal. The developed method allows for rapid discrimination between the glioma's periphery and central parts, which could serve as a steppingstone toward highly precise neurosurgery.

Multifunctional Ni(OH)2/Ag composites for ultrasensitive SERS detection and efficient photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin and methylene blue

To enable the widespread application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique in practical sensing of organic pollutants, it is essential to develop a reliable SERS substrate that offers both high sensitivity and reusability. In this study, we employed a simple and rapid in-situ deposition method to coat Ag nanoparticles onto flower-like Ni(OH)2 spheres, resulting in the formation of Ni(OH)2/Ag composites with excellent photocatalytic performance and SERS activity. These composites were used as a promising SERS analysis tool for effective detection of organic pollutants, including ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) and methylene blue (MB). Notably, the composites exhibited outstanding detection limits of 10-8 M for MB and 10-7 M for CIP, respectively, and showed a strong linear relationship between SERS intensities and the logarithmic concentration (R2 ≥ 0.97). Moreover, under simulated sunlight irradiation, the Ni(OH)2/Ag composites efficiently degraded MB and CIP molecules within a short period of 120 min for MB and 130 min for CIP. This demonstrated their practical reusability, as evidenced by their consistent performance over five cycles of SERS sensing. These findings underscore the significant potential of these composites for SERS-based detection of trace pollutants and ecological restoration through photocatalytic reactions in the future.

Silver@mesoporous Anatase TiO2 Core-Shell Nanoparticles and Their Application in Photocatalysis and SERS Sensing

Nanostructured noble metal-semiconductor materials have been attracting increasing attention because of their broad application in the field of environmental remediation, sensing and photocatalysis. In this study, a facile approach for fabricating silver@mesoporousanataseTiO2 (Ag@mTiO2) core-shell nanoparticles employing sol-gel and hydrothermal reaction is demonstrated. The Ag@mTiO2nanoparticles display excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensitivity and they can detect the methylene blue (MB) molecules with the concentration of as low as 10−8 M. They also exhibit outstanding photocatalytic activity compared with mTiO2, due to the efficient separation and recombination restrain of electron–hole pairs under ultraviolet light. The Ag@mTiO2nanoparticles also present good stability and they can achieve recyclable photocatalytic degradation experiments for five times without loss of activity. Subsequently, the nanoparticles with dual functions were successfully used to in situ monitor the photodegradation process of MB aqueous solution. These results, demonstrating the multifunctional Ag@mTiO2 nanoparticles, hold promising applications for simultaneous SERS analysis and the removal of dye pollutants in environmental field.

Adsorption of the drug bempedoic acid over different 2D/3D nanosurfaces and enhancement of Raman activity enabling ultrasensitive detection: First principle analysis

The nanocluster-based drug delivery system is of much importance, now days. This manuscript studies the interaction of pristine/substituted/doped GQDs, fullerene, helicene and CNT with bempedoic acid, which is an effective alternative of statins in the treatment of hypercholesteremia. The adsorption energies are calculated at B3LYP-D3/6-311G+(2d,p) level in order to study the adsorption of bempedoic acid over the surfaces of the nanoclusters incorporating Grimme's dispersion correction. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which is a sound approach to vibrational spectroscopy, is used in order to detect bempedoic acid. All the studies signify that bempedoic acid can be detected with these nanoclusters and the negative adsorption energies advocate for the possible use of these nanoclusters as effective drug delivery system in case of bempedoic acid. Adsorption energy of bempedoic acid over helicene was found to be the most negative among the mentioned nanocluster systems, while adsorption on the surface of CNT was found to be the least negative.