Abstract
Representing tremendous enhancement effect for the Raman signal of trace chemicals, branched gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are particularly attractive as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates, though precise morphology control during synthesis might remain challenging. Herein, snowflake-like gold nanoparticles served as SERS substrates were successfully prepared by reducing chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) with ascorbic acid in aqueous solutions of tetradecylpiperidinium (C14PDB) surfactant. At a C14PDB/HAuCl4 molar concentration ratio of 4.2/1 and a reaction time of 6 h, the Au NPs resembled hexagonal snowflakes were produced. The snowflake-like Au NPs substrates performed great SERS activity and afforded limits of detection around 3 × 10−9 mol L−1 in aqueous rhodamine 6G (R6G) solutions and 1 × 10−8 mol L−1 for organophosphorus pesticides in solution. And applying these SERS substrates for practical detection on five fruit or vegetable peels, the detection limit of parathion-methyl, triazophos and phosmet on apple peels was 0.026 ng cm−2, 0.031 ng cm−2 and 0.032 ng cm−2, respectively. SERS results suggest that snowflake-like Au NPs used as SERS substrates hold great promise for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides at trace concentrations.
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