Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate based on gold nanostars–silver nanostars for imidacloprid detection

Norhayati Abu Bakar; Joseph George Shapter

doi:10.1071/CH23189

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 77(4)

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate based on gold nanostars–silver nanostars for imidacloprid detection

Norhayati Abu Bakar

^A ^B ^* and Joseph George Shapter ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

^B Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

^* Correspondence to: n.abubakar@uq.edu.au, norhayati.ab@ukm.edu.my

Handling Editor: Deanna D’Alessandro

Australian Journal of Chemistry 77, CH23189 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH23189

Submitted: 2 October 2023 Accepted: 19 February 2024 Published online: 4 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful molecular spectroscopy technique that combines Raman spectroscopy with nanostructured metallic surfaces to amplify the Raman signals of target molecules by more than 10³. The high sensitivity of SERS poses a significant opportunity for pesticide detection in complex matrices at ultralow concentrations. In this study, we improved the SERS sensitivity for imidacloprid (IMD) by employing silver nanostars (AgNs) coated with gold nanostars (AuNs) as the SERS-active substrate. The SERS response towards IMD detection increased based on the combination of AuNs and AgNs on the substrate surface. The intensity of the SERS signal of IMD using the AuNs/AgNs substrate increased compared to using individual metal nanoparticle substrates. The excellent reproducibility of SERS intensity using the AuNs/AgNs substrate was achieved with a low relative standard derivative (RSD) of 4.87% for 20 different spots on the same sample and 5.19% for 20 different samples. This detection system can be used for multiple tests, which is crucial for the advancement of handheld sensors designed for field use, where minimal or no high-level technical support is accessible.

Keywords: bimetallic nanostructures, gold nanostars, imidacloprid, neonicotinoid pesticides, silver nanostars, surface plasmonic sensors, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, thin film.

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