In situ Generation of Ag Nanoparticles on Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan Nanofibers as Flexible Substrates For Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection

Flexible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates were produced by in situ chemical reduction of Ag + on poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan (PVA/CS) nanofibers. PVA/CS nanofibers (which have a large number of amino and hydroxyl functional groups) were prepared by electrospinning, which can provide more sites for adsorbing Ag + than pure PVA. The Ag nanoparticles were evenly distributed on the PVA/CS nanofibers. The SERS substrate also exhibited excellent water stability, sensitivity, and uniformity. The detection limit of probe molecule rhodamine 6G was 10 −7 M and the relative standard deviation was 5%. In addition, the Ag–PVA/CS nanofibers substrate was effective for recognition and detection of norfloxacin, a well-known antibiotic that is pertinent to food safety and animal/human health.