Facile fabrication of a silver dendrite-integrated chip for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

A facile approach to fabricating a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active chip by integrating silver dendrites with copper substrate through a one-step process was explored. The structures of dendrites were synthesized and controlled by an AgNO₃/PVP aqueous system, and the fabrication parameters amount of AgNO₃/PVP and reaction time were systematically investigated. The optimized silver dendrites, closely aggregated on the surface of the copper chip, exhibited high SERS activity for detecting rhodamine 6G at a concentration as low as 3.2 × 10^-11 M. Meanwhile, the prepared SERS-active chip displayed a high thermal stability and good reproducibility. Moreover, the potential application for analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was demonstrated by detection of fluoranthene at a low concentration of 4.5 × 10^-10 M. This SERS-active chip prepared by the convenient and high-yield method would be a promising means for rapid detection under field conditions.