Improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering performance enabled by hydrophilic-hydrophobic piezoelectric PVDF-silver substrate

It holds extreme significance in expansive fields to promote the sensitivity and quantitative aptitudes of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. Herein, a distinctive piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film combined with hydrophilic-hydrophobic strategy was ventured into SERS technique to facilitate a superior self-energized hybrid substrate. Notably, enhanced localized electromagnetic field of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) could be rationally induced by pressing or bending the PVDF film, enabling a tunable ultra-high sensitivity. The quantitative level of the sensitive detection was further improved by employing a facile hydrophilic-hydrophobic strategy to uniformly anchor and enrich analytes, ascertaining a low variation of 11.8%. As a proof-of-concept, an in-situ collection and assay of enrofloxacin residue on fishes with different surface roughness were successfully accomplished by the pressed substrate and trustworthy recovery rates were demonstrated. Briefly, the hydrophilic-hydrophobic self-energized PVDF-Ag hybrids demonstrated superior SERS enhancement with a promising uniformity, providing a novel and practical design options for sensing devices and facilitating the noninvasive monitoring of residue in sea food. • A novel kind of self-energized E-SERS substrate with a tunable ultra-high sensitivity was developed. • An facile hydrophilic-hydrophobic strategy was used to improve the accuracy of the E-SERS signal. • A practical monitoring of enrofloxacin residue on fishes was achieved by the self-energized substrate.