Semiconducting Tungsten Trioxide Thin Films for High-Performance SERS Biosensors.

IF 4.3 3区材料科学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Nanomaterials Pub Date : 2025-09-10 DOI:10.3390/nano15181393

Hao Liu, Liping Chen, Bicheng Li, Haizeng Song, Chee Leong Tan, Yi Shi, Shancheng Yan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) enables ultrasensitive detection but is often hindered by biocompatibility and sustainability concerns due to its reliance on noble metal substrates. To overcome these limitations, we develop a semiconductor-based SERS platform utilizing ultrathin tungsten trioxide (WO₃) nanofilms synthesized via a facile annealing process on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). This system achieves an impressive Raman enhancement factor of 1.36 × 10⁶, enabling ultrasensitive detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G) and methylene blue (MB) at ultralow concentrations, surpassing conventional metal-based SERS platforms. It is further suggested that this is a substrate that can be easily coupled to other metals. An application for the detection of adenine molecules is realized through layered WO₃-Au NPs composites, where embedded gold nanoparticles act as plasma "hot spots" to amplify the sensitivity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and band structure analysis confirm that synergistic interface charge transfer and naturally formed oxygen vacancies enhance performance. By combining semiconductor compatibility with other metal amplification, this WO₃-based SERS platform offers a sustainable and high-performance alternative to conventional substrates, paving the way for environmentally friendly and scalable Raman sensing technologies.

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高性能SERS生物传感器用半导体三氧化钨薄膜。

表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）能够实现超灵敏的检测，但由于其依赖于贵金属基底，常常受到生物相容性和可持续性问题的阻碍。为了克服这些限制，我们开发了一个基于半导体的SERS平台，利用超薄三氧化钨（WO3）纳米膜，通过氟掺杂氧化锡（FTO）的简单退火工艺合成。该系统实现了1.36 × 106的拉曼增强因子，实现了对罗丹明6G （R6G）和亚甲基蓝（MB）在超低浓度下的超灵敏检测，超过了传统的金属基SERS平台。这进一步表明，这是一种基底，可以很容易地耦合到其他金属。通过层状WO3-Au纳米粒子复合材料实现了腺嘌呤分子检测的应用，其中嵌入的金纳米粒子作为等离子体“热点”来放大灵敏度。密度泛函理论（DFT）计算和能带结构分析证实，协同界面电荷转移和自然形成的氧空位提高了性能。通过将半导体兼容性与其他金属放大相结合，这种基于wo3的SERS平台提供了传统基板的可持续和高性能替代方案，为环保和可扩展的拉曼传感技术铺平了道路。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nanomaterials NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY-MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

CiteScore

8.50

自引率

9.40%

发文量

3841

审稿时长

14.22 days

期刊介绍： Nanomaterials (ISSN 2076-4991) is an international and interdisciplinary scholarly open access journal. It publishes reviews, regular research papers, communications, and short notes that are relevant to any field of study that involves nanomaterials, with respect to their science and application. Thus, theoretical and experimental articles will be accepted, along with articles that deal with the synthesis and use of nanomaterials. Articles that synthesize information from multiple fields, and which place discoveries within a broader context, will be preferred. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research in as much detail as possible. Full experimental or methodical details, or both, must be provided for research articles. Computed data or files regarding the full details of the experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary material. Nanomaterials is dedicated to a high scientific standard. All manuscripts undergo a rigorous reviewing process and decisions are based on the recommendations of independent reviewers.