Facile synthesis of a ZnO nanoplate/Ag nanoparticle hybrid as a highly sensitive SERS substrate for indigo carmine detection.
| Title: | Facile synthesis of a ZnO nanoplate/Ag nanoparticle hybrid as a highly sensitive SERS substrate for indigo carmine detection. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Ha Pham TT; Faculty of Chemistry, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam.; Lan NT; Institute of Science and Technology, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam hoavx@tnus.edu.vn.; Trang TT; Institute of Science and Technology, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam hoavx@tnus.edu.vn.; Dien ND; Faculty of Occupational Safety and Health, Vietnam Trade Union University 169 Tay Son Street, Dong Da District Ha Noi City 10000 Vietnam.; Vuong TX; Faculty of Chemistry, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam.; Thuy Nguyen TT; Faculty of Chemistry, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam.; Kim Chi TT; Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District Ha Noi City 10000 Vietnam.; Huong Giang TT; Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District Ha Noi City 10000 Vietnam.; Van Hao N; Institute of Science and Technology, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam hoavx@tnus.edu.vn.; Nga PT; Institute of Science and Technology, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam hoavx@tnus.edu.vn.; Faculty of Secondary School, Hoa Lu University 2 Xuan Thanh Street, Ninh Nhat Commune Ninh Binh City Vietnam.; Linh DT; Faculty of Fundamental Sciences, TNU-University of Technology 666 3/2 Road Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam.; Vu XH; Institute of Science and Technology, TNU-University of Sciences Tan Thinh Ward Thai Nguyen City 24000 Vietnam hoavx@tnus.edu.vn. |
| Source: | RSC advances [RSC Adv] 2025 Apr 23; Vol. 15 (17), pp. 13095-13110. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Apr 23 (Print Publication: 2025). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101581657 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2046-2069 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20462069 NLM ISO Abbreviation: RSC Adv Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Cambridge [England] : Royal Society of Chemistry, [2011]- |
| Abstract: | This work presents the utilization of a hydrothermal treatment and a reduction reaction to synthesize a heterogeneous ZnO nanoplate (NPl)/Ag nanoparticle (NP) nanostructure for application in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Under hydrothermal conditions, at 180 °C and 20 h, ZnO NPls with a thickness of 40 nm and edgewise size of 200 nm × 350 nm were prepared from precursors containing zinc acetate (CH3COO)2Zn and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Then, Ag NPs with an average diameter of 17 nm were deposited onto the surface of the ZnO NPls by reducing AgNO3 using trisodium citrate (TSC). The structural, morphological, and compositional behaviors of the prepared heterostructure were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The optical properties of the as-prepared products were analyzed using Raman, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies and photoluminescence (PL) technique. Results confirmed the formation of a ZnO NPl/Ag NP heterostructure, with the Ag NPs adhering to the surface of the 2D semiconducting ZnO NPls. The SERS signal from the chemisorbed indigo carmine (IC) molecules on the ZnO/Ag surface was observed at various concentrations between 5 × 10-9 M and 10-4 M. The produced SERS substrate demonstrated superior SERS performance in detecting IC, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 5 × 10-9 M, a high enhancement factor (EF) of 1.57 × 105, and good uniformity with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.6%. Raman scattering signals from IC adsorbed on this ZnO/Ag heterostructure showed a significant enhancement compared with those of the same molecules adsorbed on a glass substrate. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering of ZnO/Ag was owing to the hotspots at the Ag NPs and effective charge transport among plasmonic Ag NPs, semiconducting ZnO NPls, and the IC molecules. The most captivating aspect of this study is that the molecular structure of IC was compared using computational and experimental methods; in particular, density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the B97 (d,p) basis set were performed to obtain the optimized geometric structure and frontier molecular orbital of IC molecules. This study provides definitive experimental validation underpinning the phenomenon of SERS on metal oxide semiconductor/noble metal hybrids, which can effectively enhance Raman signals owing to the synergistic action of the electromagnetic (EM) and chemical (CM) mechanisms.; (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.) |
| Competing Interests: | There are no conflicts to declare. |
| References: | Biosens Bioelectron. 2019 Sep 15;141:111417. (PMID: 31202187); R Soc Open Sci. 2023 May 24;10(5):221623. (PMID: 37234497); Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2005 Aug;61(10):2349-56. (PMID: 16029856); RSC Adv. 2023 Jan 3;13(1):756-763. (PMID: 36683769); Chem Rev. 2016 Dec 28;116(24):14921-14981. (PMID: 27739670); Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2018 Dec 5;205:465-469. (PMID: 30056358); Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2015 Sep 28;17(36):23547-53. (PMID: 26299821); ACS Nano. 2020 Jan 28;14(1):28-117. (PMID: 31478375); J Phys Chem A. 2005 Oct 13;109(40):9141-8. (PMID: 16332023); Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2003 Aug;59(10):2201-6. (PMID: 12909133); RSC Adv. 2025 Feb 27;15(9):6663-6667. (PMID: 40017638); RSC Adv. 2022 Mar 10;12(13):7850-7863. (PMID: 35424719); R Soc Open Sci. 2019 Feb 6;6(2):181764. (PMID: 30891286); J Am Chem Soc. 2004 Jun 16;126(23):7393-8. (PMID: 15186179); Chemosensors (Basel). 2023 Nov;11(11):. (PMID: 39371047); Nanomaterials (Basel). 2020 Jul 25;10(8):. (PMID: 32722375); Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2023 Jun 15;25(23):15941-15952. (PMID: 37261379); Molecules. 2022 Jul 29;27(15):. (PMID: 35956810); Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2003 Aug;59(10):2213-20. (PMID: 12909135); J Xenobiot. 2023 Sep 20;13(3):509-528. (PMID: 37754845); Anal Chem. 2015 Oct 20;87(20):10527-34. (PMID: 26406111); Chem Commun (Camb). 2004 Jun 21;(12):1436-7. (PMID: 15179502); ACS Omega. 2020 Jul 07;5(28):17703-17714. (PMID: 32715257); Molecules. 2019 Oct 24;24(21):. (PMID: 31652913); Food Chem. 2024 Jul 15;446:138846. (PMID: 38460279); Environ Res. 2019 Jan;168:62-69. (PMID: 30278363); Bioresour Technol. 2020 Apr;302:122811. (PMID: 32000130); Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2017 Aug 5;183:284-290. (PMID: 28456086) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20250424 Latest Revision: 20250425 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12017391 |
| DOI: | 10.1039/d4ra08973a |
| PMID: | 40271411 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article