Enhanced SERS and catalytic performance via piezoelectric and plasmonic coupling effects for organic pollutant molecule degradation

Abstract

The accurate detection and efficient catalytic treatment of pollutants are essential for environmental protection. In this study, we propose a Au/Ag/CuO nanowire (NW)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) substrate capable of achieving the highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection as well as effective piezoelectric photodegradation of organic pollutant molecules. The piezoelectric modulation of the SERS performance of the Au/Ag/CuO NW/PVDF substrate was demonstrated experimentally using rhodamine 6 G and Crystal Violet. The piezoelectric photocatalytic performance was investigated using malachite green and methylene blue. The enhanced SERS and catalytic performance can be attributed to the coupling of the piezoelectric and plasmonic effects of the CuO NW/PVDF and Au/Ag bimetals. The proposed Au/Ag/CuO NW/PVDF substrate provides a robust method that employs plasmonic and piezoelectric materials for high-performance SERS detection and piezoelectric photocatalysis. • We combined sensitive SERS and effective photodegradation for pollutant molecule. • The Raman intensity can be increased by a factor of 1.5 through piezoelectric modulation. • The catalytic efficiency reaches 94.5% and 98.8% respectively through piezoelectric modulation. • The proposed substrate can in-situ degrade dyes in water.