Thermally Engineered Ag Nanostructures on Flexible PVA Films for SERS Applications

IF 5.6 4区物理与天体物理 Q2 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Plasmonics Pub Date : 2026-09-01 DOI:10.1007/s11468-026-03452-7

Sarumathi Muthuvel, Balaji R, Shenbagamoorthi S, Dhanpal Jayram Naidu, Shashi Kant Dargar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A flexible polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate was fabricated by solution casting, followed by Ag deposition using DC magnetron sputtering and controlled thermal annealing. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of face-centered cubic (fcc) Ag with a dominant (111) orientation after thermal treatment, indicating improved crystallinity. The hydroxyl groups present in the PVA matrix, as identified by FTIR analysis, may promote the adsorption of analyte molecules through hydrogen-bonding interactions. Morphological analysis revealed substantial restructuring of the Ag layer after annealing, resulting in a finer, and more densely distributed Ag nanoisland morphology. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence and distribution of Ag on the polymer substrate. The SERS performance was evaluated using crystal violet (CV) as a model analyte over a concentration range of 10^− 2–10^− 6M. The fabricated substrate achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 6.4 × 10^− 6 M and exhibited a linear response with R² = 0.91785. An enhancement factor of 3.659 × 10⁷ was achieved, demonstrating substantial Raman signal enhancement. The substrate also exhibited good spatial reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 9.9% across multiple measurement positions, and retained measurable SERS activity after 20 days of storage. The enhanced Raman performance is associated with annealing-induced restructuring of the Ag layer and the resulting changes in nanostructure morphology. The results demonstrate the potential of the flexible Ag/PVA substrate as a simple, scalable, and cost-effective platform for plasmonic sensing applications.

Graphical Abstract

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热工程银纳米结构在柔性聚乙烯醇薄膜上的SERS应用

采用溶液浇铸法制备了柔性聚乙烯醇（PVA）基表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS）衬底，然后采用直流磁控溅射和可控热退火工艺沉积银。x射线衍射分析证实，热处理后形成了以111取向为主的面心立方银（fcc），表明结晶度得到改善。通过FTIR分析发现，PVA基质中的羟基可能通过氢键相互作用促进被分析物分子的吸附。形貌分析表明，退火后银层发生了明显的结构调整，导致银纳米岛形貌更细、分布更密集。元素分析证实了银在聚合物基体上的存在和分布。使用结晶紫（CV）作为模型分析物，在10−2-10−6M的浓度范围内评估SERS性能。所制备的衬底的检出限（LOD）为6.4 × 10−6 M，线性响应R²= 0.91785。得到了3.659 × 107的增强因子，证明了拉曼信号的显著增强。该底物具有良好的空间重现性，在多个测量位置上的相对标准偏差（RSD）为9.9%，并且在储存20天后仍保持可测量的SERS活性。拉曼性能的增强与退火引起的银层重组和纳米结构形态的变化有关。结果表明，柔性Ag/PVA衬底作为一种简单、可扩展、经济高效的等离子体传感应用平台具有潜力。图形抽象

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

Plasmonics 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

6.70%

发文量

164

审稿时长

2.1 months

期刊介绍： Plasmonics is an international forum for the publication of peer-reviewed leading-edge original articles that both advance and report our knowledge base and practice of the interactions of free-metal electrons, Plasmons. Topics covered include notable advances in the theory, Physics, and applications of surface plasmons in metals, to the rapidly emerging areas of nanotechnology, biophotonics, sensing, biochemistry and medicine. Topics, including the theory, synthesis and optical properties of noble metal nanostructures, patterned surfaces or materials, continuous or grated surfaces, devices, or wires for their multifarious applications are particularly welcome. Typical applications might include but are not limited to, surface enhanced spectroscopic properties, such as Raman scattering or fluorescence, as well developments in techniques such as surface plasmon resonance and near-field scanning optical microscopy.