Preparation of hydrophobic cellulose acetate–Ag as a SERS platform to detect Rhodamine 6G

Inspired by the fast-developing surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platforms, low-cost, large-scale and biodegradable cellulose acetate-silver (Ag) SERS-active substrates were synthesized by depositing Ag films on the surface of hydrophobic cellulose acetate fibers. It is found that the wettability of the as-prepared SERS substrates can be tailored by varying the Ag thickness on the surface of cellulose acetate fibers. Moreover, the unique hydrophobicity of cellulose acetate-Ag ensures that Rhodamine 6G condenses into a high local concentration on its surface, which facilitates the enhancement and resolution of the SERS signal. Under conditions of high hydrophobicity of the sample, a thicker Ag film is more conducive to enhancing the Raman signal of Rhodamine 6G. The optimized SERS-active substrate can detect Rhodamine 6G at concentrations as low as 10^-8 M. This study provides a new approach for the application of biodegradable materials in SERS.