Hierarchical PVDF/ZnO/Ag/ZIF-8 nanofiber membrane used in trace-level Raman detection of H2S

surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of gases has always been difficult due to the low affinity and poor Raman cross section of the moving molecules. To mitigate the impact of these problems on detection of gases, a structure of zinc oxide/silver nanowires coated with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8) was constructed on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membrane (PVDF/ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8) and in detail researched in this work. Benefitting from the quadruple synergistic effect of efficient Knudsen diffusion of gas molecules inside ZIF-8, enrichment of ZIF-8 microsponges for gaseous molecules, regulation of ZIF-8 dielectric layer for light and reverse light scattering of ZnO NW/Ag tip, the structure was proven to have precise co-confinement on both hot spots and gaseous molecules. As a result, this PVDF/ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8 achieved excellent detection for hydrogen sulfide (H2S), with a limit of detection of 1 × 10-10 v/v and the minimum relative standard deviation value of ca. 7.13%. Furthermore, as a proof of concept, in practical application, we designed and assembled our substrate (3.5 cm × 3.5 cm) into a SERS face mask and realized efficient monitoring of H2S in human's exhaled breath. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a characteristic colorless and corrosive gas with a stinky smell, is abundantly generated as a byproduct in industrial processes such as sewage treatment and papermaking. Hence, there exists a profound demand for ultra-sensitive H2S gas detectors for immediate environmental surveillance. In this work, a structure of zinc oxide/silver nanowires coated with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8) was constructed on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membrane (PVDF/ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8) and in detail researched. The experiment proved that PVDF/ZnO NWs/Ag/ZIF-8 achieved excellent detection for H2S.