Sonochemically deposited gold nanoparticles on electrospun PCL nanofibers for SERS substrate engineering
Journal of Materials Research, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1557/s43578-026-01951-1
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Materials Research
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC, Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Au, Fiber, Nanostructure, Plasmonic, Polymer, Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)
- Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful optical molecular detection technique, yet its broad application is hindered by limited signal reproducibility and challenges in fabricating flexible, scalable substrates. This study presents electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous films decorated with plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), synthesized and deposited simultaneously via a sonochemical method. PCL was characterized by GPC, FTIR, and 1H-NMR. PCL nanofibers’ morphology was confirmed by XRD and SEM. AuNPs were formed on the nanofibrous surfaces by a sonochemical reduction/simultaneous deposition process by varying HAuCl4 concentrations (0.005–0.1 mM), enabling systematic tuning of nanoparticle coverage and aggregation without linkers or post-treatments. SERS analysis was performed using methylene blue (MB) as a typical SERS marker. The Raman enhancement showed a clear dependence on HAuCl4 concentration, with optimal substrates yielding the highest signal intensity. For the best-performing sample, an apparent analytical enhancement factor (AEF) of ~ 23 and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 329 at 1 mM MB were obtained, corresponding to an estimated micromolar detection limit. These results demonstrate a simple, reproducible route to flexible polymer-based SERS substrates in which nanoparticle morphology and performance can be tuned through precursor concentration, highlighting potential for further optimization toward sensitive SERS sensing.