Controlled shrinkage surface driven by solvent evaporation for highly sensitive residual fungicides detection

In this study, a suite of novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates were fabricated based on the synergistic shrinkage surface of gelatin gels and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Based on the controllable evaporation rate of solvent in the gelatin gel, the arrangement of surface-loaded AgNPs showed to form a series of more compact nanogaps and serve as SERS hotspots induced by a significant gelatin shrinkage. The constructed Gelatin@AgNPs substrates demonstrated excellent SERS sensitivity with an enhancement factor of 1.83 x 105 and could to detect 10-9 M R6G prove molecule. These experimental results were in good agreement with the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulations calculations. More critically, the Gelatin@AgNPs substrates could be as superb SERS platform for detecting the malachite green (MG) fungicides as low as 10-9 M concentrations in actual lake water, and expected to serve as a fast and simple method for highly sensitive hazardous contaminants and fungicides detection in aquaculture fields.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel SERS substrate was fabricated by utilizing gelatin gels and silver nanoparticles. The substrate exhibited excellent sensitivity and detection capability, being able to detect low concentrations of fungicides in lake water. It is expected to serve as a fast and simple method for highly sensitive detection of hazardous contaminants and fungicides in aquaculture fields.