Ag nanoparticles in soda-lime glass grown by continuous wave laser irradiation as an efficient SERS platform for pesticides detection

We have developed a Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) active substrate based on silver nanoparticles grown by ultraviolet continuous wave laser irradiation of a silver-exchanged soda-lime glass. The formation of nanoparticles was highlighted by scanning electron microscopy and extinction spectroscopy. The high density and large size of the silver nanoparticles obtained by use of this method were found to be highly beneficial for detection of low-concentrated chemical species. Both Rhodamine 6G and methyl parathion, an active molecule of some commercial pesticides, were detected with high sensitivity compared to the results of the literature, proving the efficiency of our substrate as an efficient SERS platform.