Sustainable and Flexible Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Transducer: Gold Nanoparticle-Bacterial Cellulose Composite for Pesticide Monitoring in Agrifood Systems

Publication date: 23 Gen 2025

JournalSource: OPENALEXOpenAlex type: articleOpen Access
Authors: Daniela Lospinoso, Adriano Colombelli, Sudipto Pal, P. Cretı̀, Maria Concetta Martucci, Gabriele Giancane, Antonio Licciulli, Roberto Rella, Maria Grazia Manera

Functionalized plasmonic nanostructure platforms are widely used for developing optical biosensors and SERS assays. In this work, we present a low-cost and scalable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) system based on an innovative optical transducer comprising gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded in nano-fibrillated bacterial cellulose (BC). The AuNPs@BC composite leverages the unique nanofibrillar architecture of bacterial cellulose, which provides a high surface area, flexibility, and uniform nanoparticle distribution, enabling the formation of numerous electromagnetic “hot spots”. This structure excites localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), as demonstrated by a bulk sensitivity of 72 nm/RIU, and supports enhanced Raman signal amplification. The eco-friendly and disposable AuNPs@BC platform was tested for agrifood applications, focusing on the detection of thiram pesticide. The system achieved a detection limit of 0.24 ppm (1 µM), meeting the sensitivity requirements for regulatory compliance in food safety. A strong linear correlation (R2 ≈ 0.99) was observed between the SERS peak intensity at 1370 cm−1 and thiram concentrations, underscoring its potential for quantitative analysis. The combination of high sensitivity, reproducibility, and environmental sustainability makes the AuNPs@BC platform a promising solution for developing cost-effective, flexible, and portable sensors for pesticide monitoring and other biosensing applications.

Origin
Biosensors
Volume
15
Issue
2
Pages
69
Cited by
10