Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a sensitive, non-destructive, rapid and powerful detection technique used for wide range of biological systems and chemicals analytes in low concentration and also as a diagnostic tool for environmental and biomedical analysis [1].To enhance the Raman signal the special SERS platform, usually made of silicon, glass or another brittle material, or metallic nanoparticles are required [2].

Due to extensive use of those chemical substances for plant fungicide and insecticide protection the detection and identification of pesticides on the surface of fruits and vegetables is a crucial issue. We show a new type of elastic SERS platform made of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) covered with a layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). This composite is subjected to dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) that develops the active surface of the PET/ITO foil. To enhance the Raman signal, a modified composite was covered with a thin layer of silver using the physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. The SERS platform was used for measurements popular pesticides, i.e., Thiram and Carbaryl and to quantitative analysis of those pesticides from fruits. The presented SERS platform exhibits excellent enhancement and reproducibility of the Raman signal, which enables the trace analysis of these pesticides in the range up to their maximum residues limit. [3].

REFERENCES

[1] Pilot R, Signorini R, Durante C, Bhamidipati DM, Fabris L., Biosensors (2019); 9, 57
[2] Mosier-Boss PA., Nanomaterials (2017);7,142
[3] Nowicka AB, Czaplicka M, Kowlaska AA, Szymborski T, Kamińska A., Biosensors (2019); 9,