High Sensitive and Reusable SERS Substrate Based on Ag/SnO2 Nanocone Arrayed Thin Film

The preparation of reusable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates having high sensitivity and stability is important for practical SERS applications. In this work, a SERS substrate based on silver-decorated SnO2 nanocone arrayed thin film (Ag/SnO2) is prepared using cost-effective techniques involving chemical spray pyrolysis and thermal evaporation. The SERS substrate exhibited excellent performance with an enhancement factor of 1.47 x 10(9) and a limit of detection value of 10(-12) M for the detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G). The observed SERS performance is attributed to the electromagnetic enhancement due to the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles along with the synergetic and efficient charge transfer between silver nanoparticles, SnO2 nanocones, and R6G molecules. Ag/SnO2 nanocone arrayed thin film-based SERS substrate also evinced good homogeneity and the SERS performance was maintained even after 60 days of substrate preparation. The sunlight-assisted photocatalytic activity of Ag/SnO2 thin film effectively removed the R6G molecules adsorbed on the surface after SERS analysis, making it reusable for practical applications.

Automated summary

Preparation of reusable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates with high sensitivity and stability is crucial for practical SERS applications. In this study, a SERS substrate based on silver-decorated SnO2 nanocone arrayed thin film (Ag/SnO2) was prepared using cost-effective techniques. The substrate exhibited excellent performance with a high enhancement factor and low detection limit for the detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G). The observed SERS performance is attributed to the synergistic charge transfer between silver nanoparticles, SnO2 nanocones, and R6G molecules.