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Dual-Alloyed AuAg@AgCu Nanourchins as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Platforms for Trace Level Detection of Arsenolite and Microplastic
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Scientists have created a super-sensitive sensor using tiny metal nanoparticles (gold, silver, and copper) that can detect incredibly small traces of toxic arsenic and microplastics—amounts so tiny they're hard for most current tools to catch. This matters because both arsenic contamination and microplastic pollution are growing health concerns in our water and food, and better detection tools like this could help catch these hazards early, before they build up to dangerous levels in our environment or bodies.
The increasing environmental and health concerns associated with trace-level pollutants have intensified the need for simple, stable, and ultra-sensitive detection platforms capable of identifying and quantifying hazardous species even at their tiniest concentrations. In this work, we present laser-scribed AuAg@AgCu nanourchins on silicon substrates (Si) as efficient and stable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platforms. These platforms are suitable for multiple Raman laser excitation lines (532 and 780 nm) by incorporating laser-ablated AuAg bimetallic nanoparticles and can be used for the ultrasensitive detection of arsenolite (As2O3) and polystyrene microplastics. The laser-fabricated architecture provides dense, hierarchical 3D plasmonic “hotspots” with strong electromagnetic coupling and a dual synergistic effect between the Au-Ag and Ag-Cu nanostructure domains, yielding broadband excitation compatibility. The sensor can identify trace levels of R6G down to 5 × 10–14 M, arsenolite down to 10–13 M (532 nm), and polystyrene microplastics at concentrations as low as 2 × 10− 3 g/L. The sensor demonstrates a record detection limit for arsenic oxide, surpassing the sensitivity of other SERS-based sensing results reported. The substrate demonstrates excellent signal reproducibility (RSD = 8.7%) and strong long-term stability of up to five weeks. These results highlight the potential of laser-engineered bimetallic plasmonic surfaces as robust, scalable, and highly sensitive SERS platforms for monitoring environmental pollutants.
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