Abstract: Novel molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based on the technique of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were successfully prepared. Firstly, ZnO nanorods were fabricated with Ag by reduction of Ag+ on the surface of the ZnO nanorods. Then, ZnO/Ag heterostructures were used as the substrate, rhodamine 6G was used as the template molecule, acrylamide was used as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was used as the cross-linker, and 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) was used as the initiator to prepare the ZnO/Ag MIPs (ZOA-MIPs). Through characterization analysis, it was proved that the novel ZOA-MIPs exhibited excellent SERS properties and selectivity. Under the optimal conditions, there was a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.996) between the Raman signal (at 1654-ácm-1) and the concentration of the templates, and the detection limit was 10-13 mol L-1. It was also proved that the ZOA-MIPs had the property of self-cleaning, resulting in good reusability. It is envisaged that the sensitivity of SERS coupled with the selectivity of MIPs could result in a promising chemosensor for practical applications
Template and target information: rhodamine 6G, R6G
Author keywords: Molecularly imprinted polymers, Surface-enhanced Raman scattering, ZnO, Ag heterostructures, Self-cleaning, selective detection