Issue 72, 2016

Paper-based SERS active substrates on demand

Abstract

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is an important technique for molecular analysis under ambient conditions, and the use of paper-based silver nanostructures as a disposable SERS substrate is an attractive option for low-cost, point-of-use analysis. However, the activity of pre-fabricated silver nanostructures is affected by tarnishing and necessitates either storage under inert gas conditions or use of a protective layer on the surface. But neither of these approaches are satisfactory in terms of cost and performance in real-world settings. To address this, we report a print-expose-develop process, based on silver-halide photography, to fabricate SERS active silver nanowire networks on demand using a desktop inkjet printer. This process involves only the printing of silver and halide salt solutions and obviates the need for complex colloidal ink formulation steps reported in earlier studies on inkjet printed SERS substrates. Significantly, the printed and photo-exposed silver halide films retain silver in a stable latent-image form for more than 1 year under ambient conditions. Upon demand at the point-of-use, the latent silver can be easily developed into highly active SERS-active nanostructures, with average EF ∼104, by dipping in a standard photographic developer solution and rinsing.

Graphical abstract: Paper-based SERS active substrates on demand

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Mar 2016
Accepted
02 Jul 2016
First published
13 Jul 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 68545-68552

Author version available

Paper-based SERS active substrates on demand

P. Joshi and V. Santhanam, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 68545 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA07280A

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