All-metal flexible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate for robust surface screening

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly sensitive analytical technique with great potential for application in surface screening due to its outstanding molecular detection capabilities. However, conventional flexible SERS substrates encounter challenges related to high intrinsic Raman background and low thermal conductivity. In this paper, a novel all-metal flexible SERS substrate (MF-SERS) with uniform plasma nanostructures, high SERS performance, low intrinsic Raman background, and excellent thermal conductivity was prepared by means of wet chemistry using commercially available copper foil as support material. The multifaceted MF-SERS has been demonstrated to expedite the screening of surface contaminants (e.g., pesticide residues) across diverse substrates, including fruits, slides, metal mobile phone housings, and plastic food packaging. This offers a robust solution for expeditious surface screening and sheds light on the development and application of new analytical methods.