Easily prepared and high-performance AgNPs as SERS substrates for trace thiram detection

Abstract Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology, known for its ultra-high sensitivity and molecular specificity, is widely used for material detection. In this study, a high-performance SERS substrate was successfully fabricated by depositing a 10 nm silver film on a silicon wafer under low-vacuum conditions, systematically optimizing the annealing temperature. At the optimal annealing temperature, the silver film underwent particle formation, creating a high-density “hotspot” distribution, which significantly enhanced the SERS sensitivity. With rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a beta-molecule, the SERS performance of the nanostructure was evaluated, with the optimized substrate demonstrating the detection LOD achieved 10 −8 M. A linear relationship was established between the intensity of the Characteristic Raman peak of thiram at 1384 cm −1 and the logarithm of its concentration, achieving a Correlation value is 0.986 and the LOD achieved 10 −9 M.