Three-dimensional (3D) SERS substrate with the denser "hotspots" is synthesized by the constriction of PDMS film decorated with sandwiched graphene@AgNPs@graphene (G@AgNPs@G) nanostructure. Graphene layers above and below the AgNPs are used to absorb molecules onto the "hotspots", and prevent the oxidation of AgNPs in our design. PDMS films can be easily shrunk for 3D structures, causing advantages in enhancement ability and light-matter interaction. Benefiting from the above advantages, a detection limit of 10-14 M (CV) and enhancement factor (EF) of 3.9 × 109 were obtained in our experiment. Theoretical analyses (FDTD) were also used to study the enhancement mechanism. For practical purposes, in-situ detection of MG molecules on the fish surface and the label-free detection of DNA base of adenine (A) and cytosine (C) were also studied. The high enhancement factor, great sensitivity, reliability, and stability of substrate reasonably proved that it can be used as an excellent SERS substrate for biomolecular detection.
Keywords: Cauliflower-like 3D structure; Graphene@AgNPs@Graphene; PDMS film; SERS; Single-molecule detection.
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