ABSTRACTTo investigate the possibilities of preparing planar surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates, several types of cellulose‐based commercially available thin‐layer‐chromatography (TLC) layers, microcrystalline cellulose, diethylaminoethyl cellulose and polyethyleneimine impregnated cellulose, were studied as supporting substrates. There is a worldwide need for making various processes, including chemical synthesis, greener. Therefore, cellulose was chosen as the base for SERS substrates for its economic and environmentally friendly characteristics. For the SERS substrates preparation, Tollens' process was used, and as reducing substances, maltose and glucose were used. All the prepared samples were able to detect 10−5 M adenine solution (using 780‐nm laser wavelength), which was chosen as the model analyte to evaluate their SERS efficiency. The highest SERS response was achieved with the sample prepared on microcrystalline cellulose using maltose as the reducing agent. This substrate was subsequently used for determination of adenine limit of detection, with the value of LOD = 10−7 M. Calculated analytical enhancements factor reached up to 108. Moreover, TLC layers represent a semi‐flexible substrate, which can be beneficial for many future applications.
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