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Flexible Thermoelectric Ag Film/PEDOT:PSS/AgNPs Composites: Toward Universal and Ultrasensitive Sensing
Summary
Researchers developed a multifunctional flexible SERS substrate by integrating thermoelectric PEDOT:PSS with silver nanoparticles and silver films, finding that the thermoelectric field modulated carrier concentration in AgNPs to enhance chemical and electromagnetic Raman sensitivity. The optimised composite achieved detection limits of 0.005% for microplastics and 10^-8 M for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, demonstrating broad ultrasensitive sensing capability.
Flexible surface enhancing Raman scattering (SERS) substrates have garnered significant research interest for in situ and on-site detection. However, conventional flexible materials often lack additional functionalities for SERS enhancement and introduce strong background fluorescence. This study integrates thermoelectric PEDOT:PSS with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and Ag films to develop a multifunctional flexible SERS platform. Experimental results demonstrate that the thermoelectric field generated by PEDOT:PSS effectively modulates the carrier concentration of AgNPs, enhancing SERS sensitivity via chemical/electromagnetic mechanisms. The optimized substrate achieved detection limits as low as 0.005% for microplastics and 10-8 M for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Furthermore, the thermoelectric effect enables the active regulation of SERS performance while suppressing substrate-derived fluorescence interference. This work provides fundamental insights into the thermoelectric modulation mechanism of SERS activity and advances the development of intelligent, flexible sensors for practical analytical applications.