A durable plastic substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

A novel durable substrate has been prepared for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The substrate is fabricated by reduction of silver nitrate using poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) polymer as stabilizers. The SERS-active particles are based on poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) materials, producing stable and optically translucent substrates. The stability of silver particles on the substrate was demonstrated by characterizing the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band of the elemental silver particles. The SERS activity was evaluated by detecting the signal from Raman probe molecules, Rhodamine 6G (R6G). This plastic substrate material is easy to prepare, inexpensive, and sturdy for SERS applications.