Compact Ag nanoparticles anchored on the surface of glass fiber filter paper for SERS applications.

An ideal surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate should exhibit a high electromagnetic field enhancement factor, simple preparation repeatability low cost. Here, we prepared a reproducible nanoplasmonic paper SERS substrate via a silver mirror reaction (SMR) and AgNO3-ascorbic acid (AgNO3-ASC) solution treatment method to reduce Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the surface of the flexible glass fiber filter paper (GFP). GFP with Ag NPs (AgNPs@GFP) was used for SERS to detect melamine molecules (MMs). The results showed that melamine molecules' detection limit was up to 1 ng/mL. The maximum enhancement factor of the SERS signal reached 838, and the sensitivity was 150. This strategy of fabricating SERS substrates based on GFP can provide a new way to prepare a low-cost flexible SERS substrate and increase the sensitivity of biomolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]