Transparent and Flexible Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates with High SERS Performance and Stability

Jian-Ping Peng; Pei-Jiang Liu; Yu-Tao Song; Shan-Zheng Zhao; Xin-Yue Deng; Zhen-Kai Huang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3373-z

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Transparent and Flexible Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates with High SERS Performance and Stability

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-08-25

- Transparent and Flexible Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates with High SERS Performance and Stability
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 9, Pages: 1584-1591(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
  b.School of Materials and Energy, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
  c.Reliability Physics and Application Technology of Electronic Component Key Laboratory, the 5th Electronics Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Guangzhou 510610, China
- Author bio：
  
  hzk@fosu.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3373-z
  CLC：
- Received：07 April 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-04-24，
  
  Accepted：02 May 2025，
  
  Online First：01 July 2025，
  
  Published：05 September 2025
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Peng, J. P.; Liu, P. J.; Song, Y. T.; Zhao, S. Z.; Deng, X. Y.; Huang, Z. K. Transparent and flexible surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) substrates with high SERS performance and stability. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1584–1591

Jian-Ping Peng, Pei-Jiang Liu, Yu-Tao Song, et al. Transparent and Flexible Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates with High SERS Performance and Stability[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(9): 1584-1591.
Peng, J. P.; Liu, P. J.; Song, Y. T.; Zhao, S. Z.; Deng, X. Y.; Huang, Z. K. Transparent and flexible surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) substrates with high SERS performance and stability. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1584–1591 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3373-z.

Jian-Ping Peng, Pei-Jiang Liu, Yu-Tao Song, et al. Transparent and Flexible Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates with High SERS Performance and Stability[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(9): 1584-1591. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3373-z.

摘要

A flexible

durable SERS substrate is fabricated via a “cut-and-paste” method using densely packed Au NPs on PDMS. It demonstrates high sensitivity (LOD ~10

−10

mol/L)

exceptional enhancement factor (1.76×10

)

uniformity (RSD = 7.3%)

long-term stability (30 days)

and mechanical resilience (100 bending/torsion cycles)

enabling reliable trace molecular detection.

Abstract

This paper presents a polymer-brush-guided templating strategy for fabricating ordered gold plasmonic architectures. The synthesized

nanostructures featuring densely packed Au nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. Using a simple mechanical transfer technique

these assemblies were integrated into flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films. Polymer encapsulation during synthesis ensures structural integrity during processing

resulting in a mechanically robust SERS substrate with exceptional analytical performance. This platform achieved 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) detection at 100 pmol/L (10

−10

mol/L) with high reproducibility (RSD=6.8%). Environmental and mechanical stability tests demonstrated 95% signal retention over 30 days and sustained functionality after 100 bending/twisting cycles. Combined with a non-destructive adhesion-transfer protocol

the substrate enabled on-site thiram detection on apple surfaces (1 μmol/L limit). This study provides a scalable approach for developing flexible SERS devices for food safety monitoring and environmental analysis.

关键词

Keywords

references

PayneSturges, D.; Cohen, J.; Castorina, R.; Axelrad, D. A.; Woodruff, T. J. Evaluating cumulative organophosphorus pesticide body burden of children: a national case study. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009 , 43 , 7924−7930..

Martínez Vidal, J. L.; Plaza-Bolaños, P.; Romero-González, R.; Garrido Frenich, A. Determination of pesticide transformation products: a review of extraction and detection methods. J. Chromatogr. A 2009 , 1216 , 6767−6788..

Xu, M. L.; Gao, Y.; Han, X. X.; Zhao, B. Detection of pesticide residues in food using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: A Review. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2017 , 65 , 6719−6726..

Jia, K.; Xie, J.; He, X.; Zhang, D.; Hou, B.; Li, X.; Zhou, X.; Hong, Y.; Liu, X. Polymeric micro-reactors mediated synthesis and assembly of Ag nanoparticles into cube-like superparticles for SERS application. Chem. Eng. J. 2020 , 395 , 125123..

Parvathi, V. P.; Parimaladevi, R.; Sathe, V.; Umadevi, M. Environmental photochemistry by plasmonic semiconductor decorated GO nanocomposites: SERS detection and visible light driven degradation of aromatic dyes. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2019 , 473 , 864−872..

Nie, S.; Emory, S. R. Probing single molecules and single nanoparticles by surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Science 1997 , 275 , 1102..

Fang, Y.; Seong, N. H.; Dlott, D. D. Measurement of the distribution of site enhancements in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Science 2008 , 321 , 388..

Shao, M.; Ji, C.; Tan, J.; Du, B.; Zhao, X.; Jing, Y.; Man, B.; Xu, K.; Zhang, C.; Li, Z. Ferroelectrically modulate the Fermi level of graphene oxide to enhance SERS response. Opto-Electron. Adv. 2023 , 6 , 230094..

Liu, Y.; Qiao, S.; Fang, C.; He, Y.; Sun, H.; Liu, J.; Ma, Y. A highly sensitive LITES sensor based on a multi-pass cell with dense spot pattern and a novel quartz tuning fork with low frequency. Opto-Electron. Adv. 2024 , 7 , 230230..

Zhu, K.; Zhou, T.; Chen, P.; Zong, S. F.; Wu, L.; Cui, Y. P.; Wang, Z. Y. Long-lived SERS matrix for real-time biochemical detection using "Frozen" transition state. ACS Sens. 2023 , 8 , 3360−3369..

Peng, R.; Zhang, T. T.; Wang, S. Y.; Liu, Z. J.; Pan, P.; Xu, X. T.; Song, Y. X.; Liu, X. Y.; Yan, S.; Wang, J. S. Self-assembly of strain-adaptable surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate on polydimethylsiloxane nanowrinkles. Anal. Chem. 2024 , 96 , 10620−10629..

Xie, L. P.; Zeng, H.; Zhu, J. X.; Zhang, Z. L.; Sun, H. B.; Xia, W.; Du, Y. N. State of the art in flexible SERS sensors toward label-free and onsite detection: from design to applications. Nano Res. 2022 , 15 , 4374 −4394..

Zhao, X.; Cui, C. Y.; Ma, L.; Ding, Z. H.; Hou, J. S.; Xiao, Y. X.; Liu, B. W.; Qi, B. J.; Zhang, J. H.; Lu, X. L.; Wei, J. J.; Watanabe, S.; Hao, N. J. Acoustofluidic one-step production of plasmonic Ag nanoparticles for portable paper-based ultrasensitive SERS detection of bactericides. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 , 673 , 426−433..

Zhang, X.; Yao, J.; Gong, X.; Sun, J.; Wang, R.; Wang, L.; Liu, L.; Huang, Y. Paper electrophoretic enrichment-assisted ultrasensitive SERS detection. Food Chem. 2024 , 434 , 137416..

Alawadhi, H.; Alnaqbi, M. A.; Ramachandran, K.; Columbus, S.; Daoudi, K.; Chidambaram, S.; El Khakani, M. A.; Gaidi, M. Trace-level sensing of food toxins by flexible and cost-effective SERS sensors fabricated by pulsed-laser-deposition of gold nanoparticles on polycarbonate matrix. Surf. Interfaces 2023 , 40 , 103016..

Meng, S. J.; Liang, J. X.; Jia, W. M.; Zhang, P.; Su, Q.; Wang, C. J.; An, L. L.; Chen, L. H.; Wang, Y. B. Metal-free and flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate based on oxidized carbon cloth. Carbon 2022 , 189 , 152−161..

Barveen, N. R.; Chinnapaiyan, S.; Wang, T. J.; Huang, C. H. Photochemical decoration of gold nanoparticles on MoS2 nanoflowers grafted onto the flexible carbon cloth as a recyclable SERS sensor for the detection of antibiotic residues on curved surfaces. Chemosphere 2024 , 346 , 140677..

Wang, B. X.; Duan, G. Y.; Xu, W.; Xu, C. Y.; Jiang, J. Y.; Yang, Z. C.; Wu, Y. K.; Pi, F. W. Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scatting substrates: recent advances in their principles, design strategies, diversified material selections and applications. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2024 , 64 , 472−516..

Liu, H. Q.; He, Y. N.; Cao, K. Z. Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates: A review on constructions, applications, and challenges. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2021 , 8 , 15..

Liu, X. F.; Ma, J. M.; Jiang, P. F.; Shen, J. L.; Wang, R. W.; Wang, Y.; Tu, G. L. Large-scaleflexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors with high stability and signal homogeneity. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020 , 12 , 45332−45341..

Ma, Y.; Chen, Y.; Tian, Y.; Gu, C.; Jiang, T. Contrastive study of in situ sensing and swabbing detection based on SERS-active gold nanobush-PDMS hybrid film. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2021 , 69 , 1975−1983..

Markin, A. V.; Arzhanukhina, A. I.; Markina, N. E.; Goryacheva, I. Y. Analytical performance of electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a critical review. TrAC-Trends Anal. Chem. 2022 , 157 , 116776..

Li, M.; He, X.; Wu, C.; Wang, L.; Zhang, X.; Gong, X.; Zeng, X.; Huang, Y. Deep learning enabled SERS identification of gaseous molecules on flexible plasmonic MOF nanowire films. ACS Sens. 2024 , 9 , 979−987..

Yi, S.; Yang, M.; Yu, Y.; Li, Z.; Zhang, D.; Han, F.; Grishko, A.; Li, Y.; Qin, Q.; Zhou, B. Highly sensitive flexible SERS substrates with a sandwich structure for rapid detection of trace pesticide residues. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2024 , 654 , 159455..

Song, X.; You, X.; Ren, X.; Zhang, X.; Tang, D.; Li, X. Vertically aligned Ag-decorated MoS2 nanosheets supported on polyvinyl alcohol flexible substrate enable high-sensitivity and self-cleaning SERS devices. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2023 , 11 , 109437..

Park, S.; Lee, J.; Ko, H. Transparent and flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors based on gold nanostar arrays embedded in silicon rubber film. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2017 , 9 , 44088−44095..

Liu, P.; Peng, J.; Chen, Y.; Liu, M.; Tang,W.; Guo, Z.-H.; Yue, K. A general and robust strategy for in-situ templated synthesis of patterned inorganic nanoparticle assemblies. Giant 2021 , 8 , 100076..

Peng, J.; Liu, P.; Chen, Y.; Guo, Z. H.; Liu, Y.; Yue, K. Templated synthesis of patterned gold nanoparticle assemblies for highly sensitive and reliable SERS substrates. Nano Res. 2022 , 16 , 5056−5064..

Chen, M. M.; Zhang, J. X.; Zhu, X. J.; Liu, Z. H.; Huang, J. L.; Jiang, X. C.; Fu, F. F.; Lin, Z. Y.; Dong, Y. Q. Hybridizing silver nanoparticles in hydrogel for high-performance flexible SERS chips. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022 , 14 , 26216−26224..

[Pang, X.; He, Y.; Jung, J.; Lin, Z. 1D nanocrystals with precisely controlled dimensions, compositions, and architectures. Science 2016, 353 , 1268−1272..

Pang, X.; Zhao, L.; Han, W.; Xin, X.; Lin, Z. A general and robust strategy for the synthesis of nearly monodisperse colloidal nanocrystals. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2013 , 8 , 426−431..

[Li, Z.; Zhai, L.; Zhang, Q.; Zhai, W.; Li, P.; Chen, B.; Chen, C.; Yao, Y.; Ge, Y.; Yang, H.; Qiao, P.; Kang, J.; Shi, Z.; Zhang, A.; Wang, H.; Liang, J.; Liu, J.; Guan, Z.; Liao, L.; Neacșu, V. A.; Ma, C.; Chen, Y.; Zhu, Y.; Lee, C. S.; Ma, L.; Du, Y.; Gu, L.; Li, J. F.; Tian, Z.Q.; Ding, F.; Zhang, H. 1T'-transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers stabilized on 4H-Au nanowires for ultrasensitive SERS detection. Nat. Mater . 2024, 23 , 1355−1362..

Kim, J.; Kim, J. M.; Choi, K.; Park, J. E.; Nam, J. M. Open cross-gap gold nanocubes with strong, large-area, symmetric electromagnetic field enhancement for on-particle molecular-fingerprint raman bioassays. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024 , 146 , 14012−14021..

Liu, X.; Wang, J.; Tang, L.; Xie, L.; Ying, Y. Flexible plasmonic metasurfaces with user-designed patterns for molecular sensing and cryptography. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2016 , 26 , 5515−5523..

Lin, H. Y.; Chen, W. R.; Lu, L. C.; Chen, H. L.; Chen, Y. H.; Pan, M.; Chen, C. C.; Chen, C.; Yen, T. H.; Wan, D. Direct thermal growth of gold nanopearls on 3D interweaved hydrophobic fibers as ultrasensitive portable SERS substrates for clinical applications. Small 2023 , 19 , 2207404..

Xu, Z.; Erinomo, A. M.; Dan, Z.; Qin, F.; Chang, H. Flexible SERS substrates with gradient porous Cu structure dealloying from the thermal diffusion couples of Al/Cu stacking foils. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 490 , 151871..

Kong, S. M.; Shin, D.; Oh, J. W.; Park, H.; Lee, J. S.; Won, N.-I.; Na, Y. H. One-pot platform for the collection and detection of nanoparticles: flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates with nano-pore structure. Chem. Eng. J. 2023 , 471 , 144753..

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Synthesis of Polydimethylsiloxane Ureas and Preparation of Magnetic Filaments for 3D Printing

Recyclable and Self-healable Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers Based on Knoevenagel Condensation

Room-temperature Self-healing and Recyclable PDMS Elastomers with Superior Mechanical Properties for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

2026-9 Contents

Circularly Polarized Luminescence Based on Helical Polymers: Structure-Property Relationships and Regulation Mechanisms

Related Author

Ekaterina A. Olenich

Vadim V. Gorodov

Nina V. Demchenko

Ulyana S. Andropova

Kirill K. Bakanov

Artur E. Krupnin

Irina O. Kuchkina

Sergei A. Kostrov

Related Institution

Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University

School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University

State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University

Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University

A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds

⁰