Interaction of soil humic acids with herbicide paraquat analyzed by surface-enhanced Raman scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy on silver plasmonic nanoparticles

A study of the interaction between paraquat (methyl viologen) and humic acids, extracted from a soil amended over 30 years with crop residues, cow slurries and cattle manure, was carried out by two emission spectroscopies based on plasmonic effects: surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF). To carry out this study Ag nanoparticles were used. The complex formation was tested by analyzing the effect of the herbicide on humic acids, and by varying experimental parameters such as the pH and the laser excitation wavelength. The study of the vibrational bands led to infer information about the interaction mechanism of paraquat with humic acids and to find a correlation between this interaction and the humic acids structural modification induced by the different amendments added to soil.     

表面增强拉曼散射活性基底

表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)是人们将激光拉曼光谱应用到表面科学研究中所发现的异常表面光学现象。它可以将吸附在材料表面的分子的拉曼信号放大106到1014倍,这使其在探测器的应用和单分子检测方面有着巨大的发展潜力。由于分子所吸附的基底表面形态是SERS效应能否发生和SERS信号强弱的重要影响因素,所以分子的承载基体是很关键的,因而SERS活性基底的研究一直是该领域的研究热点之一。本文总结了形态各异的表面增强拉曼散射活性基底,分析了最新发展并对其未来作一展望。     

Raman and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering of Chlorophenols

Raman spectrum is a powerful analytical tool for determining the chemical information of compounds. In this study, we obtained analytical results of chlorophenols(CPs) molecules including 4-chlorophenol(4-CP), 2,6-dich- lorophenol(2,6-DCP) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol(2,4,6-TCP) on the surface of Ag dendrites by surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) spectra. SEM images indicate that the SERS substrate of Ag dendrites is composed of a large number of polygonal nanocrystallites, which self-assembled into a 3D hierarchical structure. It was found that there were distinct differences for those three molecules from Raman and SERS spectra. This indicates that SERS could be a new tool of detection technique regarding trace amounts of CPs.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of lysophosphatidic acid

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering using silver nanoparticles was applied to detect various forms of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) to examine its potential application as an alternative to current detection methods of LPA as biomarkers of ovarian cancer. Enhancement of the Raman modes of the molecule, especially those related to the acyl chain within the 800–1300 cm⁻¹ region, was observed. In particular, the C–C vibration mode of the gauche-bonded chain around 1100 cm⁻¹ was enhanced to allow the discrimination of two similar LPA molecules. Given the molecular selectivity of this technique, the detection of LPA using SERS may eliminate the need for partial purification of samples prior to analysis in cancer screening.     

Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering of Self-assembled Superstructures

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) is a molecular specific spectroscopic technique that amplifies the Raman signal of absorbed molecules for up to 10¹⁰times. Over the past decades, SERS substrates experienced rapid growth, resulting in excellent development for SERS analysis. Because the surface plasmonic resonance coupling between individual materials can form a "hotspot" region to maximize the Raman signal, among many substrate construction strategies, self-assembly attracts more attention in constructing superstructures with strong, uniform and stable SERS activity. In addition, a number of plasmon-free nanomaterials with appropriate superstructures samely show enhanced SERS activity, which is primarily attributed to the formation of the optical resonator. This review aims to provide a scientific synopsis on the progress of self-assembled superstructures for SERS and ignite new dis˗ coveries in the SERS platform, as well as SERS applications in various fields.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of cholinesterase inhibitors

A new sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assay for detection of cholinesterase inhibitors such as organophosphorous pesticides using silver colloidal nanoparticles was developed and optimized. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) mediated the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine to produce thiocholine, which interacted with the silver nanoparticles to give a specific SERS spectrum. Variation in enzyme activity due to inhibition was measured from changes in intensity of a characteristic peak (772 cm⁻¹) of the SERS spectrum that was directly correlated with the concentration of produced thiocholine. The method was demonstrated for the detection of paraoxon as reference AChE inhibitor. Limit of detection of paraoxon for 5 min incubation at 25 °C was 1.8 × 10⁻⁸ M. This assay can be utilized for the detection of trace amounts of any AChE inhibitor.     

Surface-enhanced Raman studies of bradykinin using colloidal gold

In this paper, bradykinin (BK), an endogenous peptide hormone, which is involved in a number of physiological and pathophysiological processes was deposited onto the colloidal Au nanoparticles. The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used to determine the adsorption mode of BK under different environmental conditions, including: excitation wavelengths (514.5 nm and 785.0 nm), pH of aqueous sol solutions (from pH = 3 to pH = 11), and size of the colloidal nanoparticles (10, 20, and 50 nm). The metal surface plasmon of the colloidal suspended Au nanoparticles was examined by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The results showed that the C-terminal part of BK plays a crucial role in the adsorption process onto the colloidal suspended Au particles. The Phe^5/8 and Arg⁹ residues of BK mainly participate in the interactions with the colloidal Au nanoparticles. At acidic pH of the solution (pH = 3), the BK COO⁻ terminal group through the both oxygen atoms strongly binds to the Au nanoparticles. The Phe⁵/Phe⁸ rings adopt tilted orientation with respect to the colloidal Au nanoparticles with diameters of 10 and 20 nm. As the particle size increases to 50 nm, the flat orientation of the Phe ring(s) with respect to the Au nanoparticles is observed.     

树枝状银微纳结构的表面增强拉曼散射效应研究

利用两电极电化学沉积法制备出一种树枝状银微纳结构基体.扫描电子显微镜(SEM)的表征结果证实所制备的银基体呈现出完整的树枝状结构,具有对称性的树枝和树干,且树叶清晰可见.实验结果表明,树枝状银微纳结构的表面增强拉曼散射(Surface-enhanced Raman scattering,SERS)可以检测到超低浓度的罗丹明6G(Rhodamine 6G,R6G,10-10 mol/L)光谱信号,即树枝状银微纳结构作为SERS基体表现出较好的灵敏性;当R6G的浓度在10-5~10-10 mol/L范围依次降低一个数量级时,谱带610 cm-1处的拉曼散射强度的相对标准偏差分别为12.1%,12.0%,11.7%,10.9%,13.2%和14.3%,表明所制备银基体的SERS"热点"(Hot spots)分布较均一,树枝状银微纳结构作为SERS基体具有较好的重现性;当低SERS活性的3-巯基丙酸(3-Mercaptopropionic acid,3MPA)的检测浓度为10-5 mol/L时,利用树枝状银基体能检测到3MPA的SERS光谱,说明所制备的银基体对低活性物质也具有较好的SERS灵敏性.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active silver nanostructures with two domains

Generally, a controllable and reproduced surface roughness for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies can be generated through control of the electrochemical oxidation–reduction cycles (ORC) procedure. In this work, we propose a new sonoelectrochemical approach to prepare SERS-active substrates with two domain-Ag nanostructures. The method is based on a strategy of deposition–dissolution cycles (DDCs) by using a cathodic overpotential and an anodic overpotential from open circuit potential (OCP) in turn under sonication. The prepared SERS-active substrate demonstrates large Raman scattering enhancement for adsorbed Rhodamine 6G (R6G) with an enhancement factor of 2.3 × 10⁸ and a limit of detection of 2 × 10⁻¹³ M. The improved SERS performances can be successfully explained from the viewpoints of electromagnetic (EM) and chemical (CHEM) enhancements.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for probing internal cellular structure and dynamics

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) provides vibrational information about molecules that are located within several nanometers of the surface of a metallic nanoparticle. This review describes the various challenges and successes of applying SERS inside living cells in order to gain information about the internal structure and dynamic processes occurring in the intracellular matrix. In particular, the challenges associated with the introduction of metal nanoparticles into cells are described, as well as the complexity of interpreting SERS spectra from within complex biological environments. Strategies for understanding and improving the specificity of SERS in vivo are also presented.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering molecular sentinel nanoprobes for viral infection diagnostics

In this paper, we describe a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based detection approach, referred to as “molecular sentinel” (MS) plasmonic nanoprobes, to detect an RNA target related to viral infection. The MS method is essentially a label-free technique incorporating the SERS effect modulation scheme associated with silver nanoparticles and Raman dye-labeled DNA hairpin probes. Hybridization with target sequences opens the hairpin and spatially separates the Raman label from the silver surface thus reducing the SERS signal of the label. Herein, we have developed a MS nanoprobe to detect the human radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2 (RSAD2) RNA target as a model system for method demonstration. The human RSAD2 gene has recently emerged as a novel host-response biomarker for diagnosis of respiratory infections. Our results showed that the RSAD2 MS nanoprobes exhibits high specificity and can detect as low as 1 nM target sequences. With the use of a portable Raman spectrometer and total RNA samples, we have also demonstrated for the first time the potential of the MS nanoprobe technology for detection of host-response RNA biomarkers for infectious disease diagnostics.     

纳米颗粒银层的电沉积机理及SERS效应

研究了大面积均匀平整的纳米颗粒银层电沉积的机理, 优化了制备工艺, 探索了其在表面增强拉曼光谱检测中的应用. 结果表明, 该纳米颗粒银层的电沉积随着电极电势的负移, 逐步由连续成核转向瞬时成核机理, 在电流密度为1.0 A/dm², 阴阳极面积比为1∶10, 以及20~30 ℃条件下, 银层具有更强的表面增强效应. XRD测试表明, (111)晶面为银电沉积层的择优取向面; 扫描电子显微镜表征表明, 银的颗粒尺度为6~11 nm. 该电沉积层作为表面增强拉曼光谱的活性基底, 具有灵敏度高及检测限低的特点, 对罗丹明6G 分子的检测限低至1.0×10^-12 mol/L, 同时在大范围内的拉曼增强效果均匀, 展现了良好的应用前景.     

pH值对2-(2-吡啶基)咪唑荧光光谱的影响研究

合成了2-(2-吡啶基)咪唑,并通过稳态荧光光谱研究了它在溶液中的光物理行为及溶液酸碱度的影响.发现2-(2-吡啶基)咪唑化合物存在分子内光诱导电子转移反应(PET),并且这一过程强烈地依赖于溶液的pH值,但是氮原子的质子化会影响PET过程.     

Ultraviolet-visible and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy Studies on Ruthenium Phthalocyanine Monolayer Films Formed on Terephthalonitrile-modified Silver Substrates

A self-assembled monolayer film(SAM) of ruthenium phthalocyanine (RuPe) fabricated on a silver sub-strate premodified with an SAM of terephthalonitrile (TPN) was studied by means of surface-enhanced Ra-man seattering(SERS) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) speetroseopies. TPN was used as a ligand to linkRuPe since it can not only modify the silver suhstrate but also deliver the nitrile groups protruding from thesilver surface. Therefore, we can explore the relationship between the structure and the orientation of RuPeand the TPN-modified substrate. The UV-Vis spectra indicate a strong interaction between RuPe and TPN inthe composite film. The result is further confirmed by the SERS spectra of RuPe-TPN SAM, in which the vi-brational bands arising from both the RuPe and TPN moieties appear clearly, indicating that the RuPe is suc-cessfully assembled on the TPN film.     

表面增强拉曼光谱法同时检测奶粉中三聚氰胺和二聚氰胺

本文建立了奶粉中同时检测三聚氰胺及二聚氰胺的表面增强拉曼光谱法.奶粉样品经15％三氯乙酸溶液提取,中性氧化铝吸附杂质后进行拉曼光谱检测.三聚氰胺线性范围为0.0050～0.075 mg/L,检出限为0.0015 mg/L,回收率在79.5％～124％之间,相对标准偏差小于8.8％(n=5);二聚氰胺线性范围为0.50～l0mg/L,检出限为0.15 mg/L,回收率在76.5％～112％之间,相对标准偏差小于9.4％(n=5).该方法相比常规表面增强拉曼光谱法,仅通过一种样品前处理手段即可对奶粉中的三聚氰胺或二聚氰胺进行定性检出及定量分析,相比色谱等检测方法具有样品前处理过程简单、耗时短等优点,在奶粉质量监控方面具有良好的应用前景.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy toward application in plasmonic photocatalysis on metal nanostructures

Among photothermal, photovoltaic and photochemical techniques, photochemistry is superior in energy storage and transportation by converting photons into chemical fuels. Recently plasmonic photocatalysis, based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) generated from noble metal nanostructures, has attracted much attention. It promotes photochemical reaction efficiency by optimizing the solar spectrum absorption and the surface reaction kinetics. The deeper understanding is in urgent need for the development of novel plasmonic photocatalysts. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which is also originated from the LSPR effect, provides an excellent opportunity to probe and monitor plasmonic photoreactions in situ and in real-time, with a very high surface sensitivity and energy resolution. Here, fundamentals of plasmonic photocatalysis and SERS are first presented based on their connections to the LSPR effect. Following by a validity analysis, latest studies of SERS applied for the plasmon mediated photochemical reaction are reviewed, focusing on the reaction kinetics and mechanism exploration. Finally, limitations of the present study, as well as the future research directions, are briefly analyzed and discussed.     

Chemical and physicochemical characteristics of humic acids extracted from compost, soil and amended soil

In order to gain understanding about how “HA-like substances” from organic amendments may change some properties in the soil solution, the knowledge of chemical and physicochemical characteristics (charge development, acid–base behavior and heterogeneity) should be known.

The aim of this research were (i) to study the elemental and functional composition, (ii) to determine charge behavior, acid–base properties (apparent dissociation constant and buffer capacity) and (iii) to evaluate heterogeneity of humic acids (HA) isolated from municipal solid waste compost (MWC) and from the corresponding MWC-amended soil, in comparison to those of the unamended soil HA using potentiometric titration and differential scanning potentiometry (DSP).

Potentiometric titration and the first derivative of −Q versus pH (negative charge development versus pH) curves could be used to determine proton-affinity distribution and the chemical heterogeneity of the HA as well as the average pK_app and buffer capacity in a wide range of pH.

Differential scanning potentiometry allows determination of the pK_app values in a narrower range of pH than potentiometric titrations and is another simple methodology to study acid–base behavior of HA.

DSP allows us to determine seven different pK_app values for HA-S and HA-E and four different pK_app for HA-C. Each one of these values corresponds to known acidic groups that can be present in the macromolecule of HA.     

银纳米枝的合成及表面增强拉曼效应

利用硝酸银与铜之间发生置换反应原理, 在铜箔上得到了有序的银纳米枝结构, 用十二烷基磺酸钠(SDS)为表面活性剂, 通过调控前驱体硝酸银的浓度, 可在铜箔上得到不同密度的银纳米枝. 表面拉曼增强实验结果表明, 当分别以对巯基苯胺(4-ATP)、腺嘌呤和罗丹明G6为探针分子时, 有序的银纳米枝结构比无序的银纳米粒子具有更好的拉曼增强活性; 且随银纳米枝密度的增加, 表面拉曼增强活性有所提高. 该有序的银纳米枝结构是较好的表面增强拉曼(SERS)活性基底, 在有机分子和生物分子的SERS检测方面将具有一定的应用前景.     

表面增强拉曼光谱法快速定量分析食品中福美双、二氰蒽醌和灭蝇胺的残留

基于表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)技术,以Au@SiO2和Au纳米增强粒子建立了食品中福美双、二氰蒽醌和灭蝇胺的快速定量分析方法,3种农药的检出限分别为1.4μg/L、0.020mg/L和0.030mg/L。采用加标回收试验对方法进行评价,福美双在生活饮用水和碳酸梨汁饮料中的回收率在104.5%~107.1%之间,相对标准偏差为4.0%~6.2%;二氰蒽醌在生活饮用水中的回收率在81.1%~100.0%之间,相对标准偏差为4.1%~7.8%,灭蝇胺在碳酸饮料和果皮中测定的相对标准偏差均小于11.0%,结果表明该方法准确可靠,精密度高。方法成功用于加标碳酸果汁饮料、果皮表面二氰蒽醌及灭蝇胺的检测,为快速定量检测食品中农残提供了SERS方法。     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering for perchlorate detection using cystamine-modified gold nanoparticles

Perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) has recently emerged as a widespread environmental contaminant found in groundwater and surface water, and there is a great need for rapid detection and monitoring of this contaminant. This study presents a new technique using cystamine-modified gold nanoparticles as a substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of perchlorate at low concentrations. A detection limit of 5 × 10⁻⁶ M (0.5 mg/L) has been achieved using this method without sample preconcentration. This result was attributed to a strong plasmon enhancement by gold metal surfaces and the electrostatic attraction of ClO₄⁻ onto positively charged, cystamine-modified gold nanoparticles at a low pH. The methodology also was found to be reproducible, quantitative, and not susceptible to significant interference from the presence of anions such as sulfate, phosphate, nitrate and chloride at concentrations <1 mM, making it potentially suitable for rapid screening and routine analysis of perchlorate in environmental samples.