Filter-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid and sensitive detection of the fungicide ferbam in water

Abstract

ABSTRACTSurface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely applied for rapid and sensitive detection of various chemical and biological targets. Here, we incorporated a filter syringe system into the SERS method to detect the fungicide ferbam in water. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were aggregated by sodium chloride (NaCl) to form nanoclusters that could be trapped in the pores of the filter membrane to from the SERS-active membrane. Then samples were filtered through the membrane. After capturing the target, the membrane was taken out and air dried before measuring by a Raman instrument. After optimisation of various parameters, the developed filter SERS method was able to detect the fungicide ferbam as low as 2.5 μg/L and had a good quantitative capability. The developed method was successfully applied in three water samples, including double-distilled water, tap water, and pond water. The test can be carried out on site using a portable Raman instrument. This study shows that the filter-based SERS method improves the detection capability in water samples, including the sensitivity and portability, and could be applied in the detection of various toxins in real-world water samples.