Gold nanochips with molecularly imprinted polymer coating for explosives sensing: Surface-enhanced Raman scattering approach

This research is aimed at developing a sensor that is both sensitive and
selective for detecting explosives, and to examine its surface enhanced
Raman scattering (SERS) response. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs),
commonly used as synthetic receptors in sensors for the selective
detection of molecules without prior analytic treatments, have been
combined with optical sensors. This integration, especially in combination
with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) technology, represents a
promising strategy for identifying explosives. In this paper, a sensor
based on a gold nanostructure array deposited onto a glass substrate (gold
nanochip), followed by the fabrication of a MIP layer using the
photochemical polymerization method with 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a
template molecule, is considered. The selectivity of the sensor was
assessed by comparing the SERS and LSPR responses against 4-NP and other
chemical analogs of nitro-containing explosives. Notably, this technique
not only ensures sensor selectivity, but is also capable of detecting
analytes at concentrations as low as 100 μM.