Ag/Zif-8/Pan Flexible Sers Substrate with High Sensitivity for the Surface Corrosion Analysis

Abstract

The development of a novel and reliable SERS substrate for surface corrosion analysis of bronze relics is an exciting research topic in cultural relic protection. The present work developed a high-performance surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on Ag/ZIF-8/PAN nanofibers. ZIF-8 nanocrystals induced the in-situ growth of silver nanoparticles, and the substrate was tested in the surface corrosion analysis of bronze relics. The porous structure and active centers on ZIF-8 coated on PAN nanofibers assured the in-situ growth of silver nanoparticles. Simultaneously, the adsorption of harmful rust-alkaline copper chloride was enhanced on the surface of bronze relics. The deposits induced perturbations in the extensive metal network, which significantly increased the intensity of the Raman characteristic peaks of the test objects. The strength of the signal at 118 cm-1 of alkaline copper chloride was enhanced from 1094 to 20790 on the surface of bronze. The remarkable SERS performance of the silver nanoparticles with sharp edges reveals that the synergistic impact of ZIF-8 nanocrystals and PAN nanofibers provide a significant number of Raman-enhanced hot spots. These results indicate that MOF-based nanostructures provide a new path for improving the shape of silver nanoparticles and promote their applicability in cultural relic protection.

Keywords: surface-enhanced Raman scattering, electrospinning, flexible substrates, metal-organic framework, trace analysis.