“Partner” cellulose gel with “dialysis” function: Achieve the integration of filtration-enrichment-SERS detection

Abstract

Hydrogel and aerogel materials have garnered significant attention in constructing effective surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates due to their excellent adsorption capabilities, high specific surface area, and abundant chemical groups. However, in liquids with complex compositions, non-specific adsorption of macromolecules can lead to surface scaling and pore clogging of the substrate material, limiting the selective enrichment and SERS detection of target molecules. To address this, an innovative aerogel-chimeric hydrogel material (CH@S-CNF/SA/Ag NPs) was developed. The aerogel component, with its high specific surface area and electronegative properties, functions as a SERS “chip” for adsorption and detection of target molecules. Simultaneously, the mesoporous structure of the hydrogel “shell” effectively filters macromolecules from the solution. These CH@S-CNF/SA/Ag NPs were utilized as SERS substrate materials for detecting urine from healthy individuals and patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 (CKD5). When combined with machine learning algorithms, the detection accuracy reached 99.50%. This work represents a significant advancement in the specific adsorption and SERS detection of small molecules in complex biological samples such as urine and blood.