Fe3O4@Graphene Oxide@Ag Particles for Surface Magnet Solid-Phase Extraction Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SMSPE-SERS): From Sample Pretreatment to Detection All-in-One

A multifunctional magnetic graphene surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate was fabricated successfully by the layer-by-layer assembly of silver and graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles (NPs) on the magnetic ferroferric oxide particles (Fe3O4@GO@Ag). This ternary particle possesses magnetic properties, SERS activity, and adsorption ability simultaneously. Owing to the multifunction of this Fe3O4@GO@Ag ternary complex, we put forward a new method called a surface magnetic solid-phase extraction (SMSPE) technique, for the SERS detections of pesticide residues on the fruit peels. SMSPE integrates many sample pretreatment procedures, such as surface extraction, separation sample, and detection, all-in-one. So this method shows great superiority in simplicity, rapidity, and high efficiency above other standard methods. The whole detection process can be finished within 20 min including the sample pretreatment and SERS detection. Owing to the high density of Ag NPs, the detection sensitivity is high enough that the lowest detectable concentrations are 0.48 and 40 ng/cm(2) for thiram and thiabendazole, which are much lower than the maximal residue limits in fruit prescribed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This multifunctional ternary particle and its corresponding analytical method have been proven to be applicable for practical samples and also valuable for other surface analysis.