Cu@Ag/β-AgVO3 as a SERS substrate for the trace level detection of carbamate pesticides

A Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate based on Ag/β-AgVO3 nanobelts deposited on copper foil (Cu@Ag/β-AgVO3) was used for the detection of carbamate pesticides: carbofuran, carbaryl, isoprocarb and propoxur. Cu@Ag/β-AgVO3 has shown an excellent SERS activity for carbamate pesticides compared to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Under optimized conditions, detection limits of 2.5 pM, 10 pM, 50 pM and 75 pM were obtained for carbaryl, carbofuran, isoprocarb and propoxur respectively, suggesting that Cu@Ag/β-AgVO3 is a good candidate for use as a SERS substrate for the trace level detection of these pesticides.