Design of photo-initiated PDMS-based flexible SERS imprinted membrane for selective detection of microcystin-LR

In this study, array structure SERS substrate was designed by using the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the support membrane and loaded Au@Ag@Au nanoparticles on its surface. By the three-phase self-assembly procedure, the Au@Ag@Au nanoparticles could smoothly transferred on the PDMS membrane and presented array structure, which could significantly promote the SERS sensitivity. Furthermore, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were coated on the surface of membrane to promote the selective detection property. In order to protect the chemical structure of MC-LR molecules, the Au@Ag@Au/PDMS molecularly imprinted membranes (AAAP-MIMs) were synthesized by the photo-initiated polymerization. It was demonstrated from the results that the AAAP-MIMs exhibited high SERS sensitivity, stability, and uniformity. This investigation presented a novel analysis procedure applied into the toxic microcystin selective detection.