Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is highly dependent on the adsorption of target molecules onto metallic surfaces, such as colloidal metallic nanoparticles. The selection of suitable substrates is crucial for optimizing SERS performance. Herein, we investigated the dependence of two pesticid...

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Main Authors: Marcelo José dos Santos Oliveira, Gilia Cristine Marques Ruiz, Rafael Jesus Gonçalves Rubira, Santiago Sanchez-Cortes, Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino, Leonardo Negri Furini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Chemosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/13/1/13
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author Marcelo José dos Santos Oliveira
Gilia Cristine Marques Ruiz
Rafael Jesus Gonçalves Rubira
Santiago Sanchez-Cortes
Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino
Leonardo Negri Furini
author_facet Marcelo José dos Santos Oliveira
Gilia Cristine Marques Ruiz
Rafael Jesus Gonçalves Rubira
Santiago Sanchez-Cortes
Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino
Leonardo Negri Furini
author_sort Marcelo José dos Santos Oliveira
collection DOAJ
description Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is highly dependent on the adsorption of target molecules onto metallic surfaces, such as colloidal metallic nanoparticles. The selection of suitable substrates is crucial for optimizing SERS performance. Herein, we investigated the dependence of two pesticide SERS signals, thiabendazole (TBZ) and carbendazim (MBC), on both Ag nanoparticles (reduced by hydroxylamine—AgH or citrate—AgCT) and the aggregation conditions induced by adding different salts (NaCl, KCl or KNO<sub>3</sub>). In addition to SERS experiments, in order to assess the induced aggregation of the Ag nanoparticles, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential were employed. For AgH, the use of salts did not yield the greatest effect in the presence of TBZ, as only with the pesticide was it possible to achieve the highest aggregation and greater intensity of the SERS signal. In contrast, with the MBC pesticide, the KNO<sub>3</sub> salt promoted the greatest aggregation state and was crucial for obtaining the most amplified SERS signal. The thicker coating layer of AgCT prevented the adsorption of both pesticides on the surface of the nanoparticles, which was achievable using salts containing Cl<sup>−</sup> ions. Additionally, to obtain the SERS signal of MBC with AgCT, besides the presence of chlorinated salts, other adjustments were necessary, such as changing both the pH of the medium (from pH 5.8 to pH 8, for which MBC is in its neutral form) and the laser lines (from 785 to 514.5 nm). These findings demonstrated that although the pesticide molecules belong to the same chemical functional group, their detection was strongly influenced by the surface of the silver nanoparticles and the salts added. This highlights the specific nuances in detection depending on the method of Ag synthesis and the nature of the aggregating agents used.
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spelling doaj-art-e194ec3ba31343ec8bcd93d0de217f0e2025-01-24T13:26:53ZengMDPI AGChemosensors2227-90402025-01-011311310.3390/chemosensors13010013Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of PesticidesMarcelo José dos Santos Oliveira0Gilia Cristine Marques Ruiz1Rafael Jesus Gonçalves Rubira2Santiago Sanchez-Cortes3Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino4Leonardo Negri Furini5Physics Department, São Paulo State University (UNESP)—FCT, Presidente Prudente 19060-900, SP, BrazilPhysics Department, São Paulo State University (UNESP)—FCT, Presidente Prudente 19060-900, SP, BrazilPhysics Department, Institute of Geosciences and Exact Sciences (IGCE), Sao Paulo State University—UNESP, Rio Claro 13506-900, SP, BrazilInstitute of Structure of Matter, IEM-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, SpainPhysics Department, São Paulo State University (UNESP)—FCT, Presidente Prudente 19060-900, SP, BrazilPhysics Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, BrazilSurface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is highly dependent on the adsorption of target molecules onto metallic surfaces, such as colloidal metallic nanoparticles. The selection of suitable substrates is crucial for optimizing SERS performance. Herein, we investigated the dependence of two pesticide SERS signals, thiabendazole (TBZ) and carbendazim (MBC), on both Ag nanoparticles (reduced by hydroxylamine—AgH or citrate—AgCT) and the aggregation conditions induced by adding different salts (NaCl, KCl or KNO<sub>3</sub>). In addition to SERS experiments, in order to assess the induced aggregation of the Ag nanoparticles, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential were employed. For AgH, the use of salts did not yield the greatest effect in the presence of TBZ, as only with the pesticide was it possible to achieve the highest aggregation and greater intensity of the SERS signal. In contrast, with the MBC pesticide, the KNO<sub>3</sub> salt promoted the greatest aggregation state and was crucial for obtaining the most amplified SERS signal. The thicker coating layer of AgCT prevented the adsorption of both pesticides on the surface of the nanoparticles, which was achievable using salts containing Cl<sup>−</sup> ions. Additionally, to obtain the SERS signal of MBC with AgCT, besides the presence of chlorinated salts, other adjustments were necessary, such as changing both the pH of the medium (from pH 5.8 to pH 8, for which MBC is in its neutral form) and the laser lines (from 785 to 514.5 nm). These findings demonstrated that although the pesticide molecules belong to the same chemical functional group, their detection was strongly influenced by the surface of the silver nanoparticles and the salts added. This highlights the specific nuances in detection depending on the method of Ag synthesis and the nature of the aggregating agents used.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/13/1/13SERSAg nanoparticlesnanoparticles aggregationpesticides detection
spellingShingle Marcelo José dos Santos Oliveira
Gilia Cristine Marques Ruiz
Rafael Jesus Gonçalves Rubira
Santiago Sanchez-Cortes
Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino
Leonardo Negri Furini
Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
Chemosensors
SERS
Ag nanoparticles
nanoparticles aggregation
pesticides detection
title Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
title_full Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
title_fullStr Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
title_full_unstemmed Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
title_short Consequences of Surface Composition and Aggregation Conditions of Ag Nanoparticles on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of Pesticides
title_sort consequences of surface composition and aggregation conditions of ag nanoparticles on surface enhanced raman scattering sers of pesticides
topic SERS
Ag nanoparticles
nanoparticles aggregation
pesticides detection
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/13/1/13
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