Potentialities of polymeric electrospun membranes decorated with silver nanoparticles and graphene oxide for biodetection by SERS

Electrospun nanofibres are highly attractive products taking advantage of their remarkable specific surface area, high porosity and good transport properties that are ideal requirements for efficient molecule detection. In this work, fibres of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were first prepared by electrospinning. These fibres were then coated with silver nanoparticles or silver/graphene nanocomposites (fillers) following two different methodologies. The fibres were used without and with a pre-functionalization treatment with hydroxylamine. With this functionalization, amidoxime groups at PAN fibres surface are expected to promote the linkage with the fillers. Both methodologies resulted in a fibre network covered with the fillers. The resulting membranes were tested as substrates for the detection of probe molecules by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The results obtained show that easy to handle SERS substrates can be prepared using the electrospun fibres. © 2014 Portuguese Society of Materials (SPM). Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.