Fabrication of nanostructured SERS substrates on conductive solid platforms for environmental application

Abstract

Due to its high analytical sensitivity and field deplorability, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as an analytical tool for detecting environmental toxicants in different matrices. Progress has been made towards development of methods for depositing nanostructures onto solid platforms to design SERS substrates. The properties of the solid platforms used for SERS substrates fabrications such as electrical and heat conductivity, malleability and foldability, have significant influence on the design of the nanostructures and are critical for SERS technique. This review takes a look at recent advances in commonly employed conductive solid materials such as indium tin oxide, carbon fiber, silicon wafers, polyaniline fiber and carbon nanotubes as the supporting platforms for fabricating SERS substrates. It also examines their influence on the fabrication method, the morphology of the nanostructures formed as well as the hot spot density on the resultant novel SERS substrates. Real world applications of these substrates for the detection of environmental toxicants over the past decade have been shown. The review indicates that while significant advances have been made on the use of the conductive properties of these support platforms for SERS substrate fabrication, their subsequent application to detect environmental toxicants have not been fully explored.

Keywords:

• Environmental toxicants
• SERS
• nanostructures
• indium tin oxide (ITO)
• carbon fibers
• silicon wafers
• polyaniline fiber (PANI) and carbon nanotubes

Acknowledgements

We thank Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for the QUT Postgraduate Research Award (QUTPRA) and International HDR Tuition Fee Sponsorship, and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) for the study leave granted to DKS.