Synthesis of silver nanowires and their utilization as a SERS substrate for the detection of lidocaine

Abstract

Lidocaine, beside its usage as a local anesthetic and an antiarrhythmic agent, can be highly toxic and can lead to harmful side effects to the heart and nerve system. Reports in the literature reveal that there is lidocaine in cocaine, thus there are cases in which lidocaine presence is associated with drug usage. Moreover, according to the literature, lidocaine was detected in street drug samples as well. For this reason, detection of lidocaine at ultra-low concentrations has vital importance. Since SERS method is utilized for detection of organic and inorganic molecules at low concentrations, in this study, Ag Nanowires are used as SERS substrates. Since lidocaine is detected at even low concentrations such as 10-10 M, Ag nanowires exhibit high sensitivity. Even after 25 days of storage in ambient environment, Ag nanowires still exhibit peaks at high sensitivities when they are utilized for lidocaine detection. As a result, Ag Nanowires, which exhibit significant reproducibility, chemical stability and recyclability, can be utilized as possible/potential SERS substrates for detecting lidocaine at ultra-low concentrations.