Three dimensional design of large-scale TiO(2) nanorods scaffold decorated by silver nanoparticles as SERS sensor for ultrasensitive malachite green detection.

We have designed a large-scale three-dimensional (3D) hybrid nanostructure as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor by decorating silver nanoparticles on TiO2 nanorods scaffold (Ag/TiO2). Taking p-mercaptobenzoic acid (PMBA) as the probe molecule, the SERS signals collected by point-to-point and time mapping modes show that the relative standard deviation (RSD) in the intensity of the main Raman vibration modes (1079, 1586 cm(-1)) is less than 10%, demonstrating good spatial uniformity and time stability. This hybrid substrate also exhibits excellent SERS enhancement effect due to the formation of high-density hot spots among the AgNPs, which was proved by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The application of the new nanostructures as SERS sensors was demonstrated with the detection of malachite green (MG). The quantification of MG can be accomplished with the detection limit of 1 × 10(-12) M based on the Raman intensity. The results show that the Ag/TiO2 nanostructure can be a promising candidate for SERS sensor.