Neodymium doping MoS2 nanostructures with remarkable surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity

Abstract

In recent years, the study of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate on semiconductors has greatly broadened the application of SERS technology in different fields. Developing new practical semiconductor SERS substrates materials is still important work. Here, different concentrations of Nd-doped MoS2 were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. Compared with pure MoS2, doping Nd successfully enhanced the SERS signal. The Enhancement factor (EF) of the 2 at% Nd-doped MoS2 is up to ∼1.29 × 106 due to the energy level transition and charge transfer effect. High sensitivity SERS detection of bilirubin, dipterex, and bisphenol A (BPA) was realized, and the lowest detection concentration was 10−8 M. Moreover, 2 at% Nd doped MoS2 as SERS substrate can realize high sensitivity SERS detection of bilirubin, dipterex and bisphenol A (BPA), and the limit of detection (LOD) is 10−8 M, 10−9 M, and 10−9 M, respectively. Furthermore, 2 at% Nd-doped MoS2 SERS substrate has high uniformity and excellent reproducibility, which is beneficial for practical applications. This work not only provides an efficient technique to get sensitive, stable, and low-cost SERS substrates but also advantageous for many application scenarios.