Construction of flexible PDMS@PDA@AgNPs SERS sensor for multi-component detection of trace industrial dyes

Abstract The accurate identification and analysis of multiple harmful ingredient remains a huge challenge in the environmental protection field. In this work, a variety of PDMS@PDA@AgNPs flexible SERS platforms were fabricated by in situ growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes based on the adhesive and reducing properties of polydopamine (PDA). The substrates exhibited excellent sensitivity, homogeneity, and reproducible performance for multi-component detection of trace industrial dyes. The limits of detection (LOD) for rhodamine 6 G (R6G) and crystal violet (CV) individually were 5 × 10 −9 M and 1 × 10 −9 M, respectively. The abundant SERS ‘hotspots’ on the surface of prepared substrates contributed to the excellent enhancement effect. More importantly, the PDMS@PDA@AgNPs substrate was capable of realizing the simultaneous identification of R6G and CV with a detection limit of 10 −8 M and a good linearity between 10 −4 M and 10 −8 M. In addition, SERS barcode was developed to facilitate the rapid analysis of multi-component detection. The PDMS@PDA@AgNPs substrates are suitable for the rapid detection of multi-component samples, and have great application value in the fields of food safety and environmental assessment.