Ag nanoparticles as multifunctional SERS substrate for the adsorption, degradation and detection of dye molecules

Ag NPs were obtained by isopropyl alcohol restore silver nitrate with silicotungstic acid as a stabilizer under the condition of UV irradiation. From changing the amount of isopropyl alcohol and silver nitrate, we obtained Ag NPs of which plasmon peak was similar to the excitation wavelength, and the enhancement effect will be greatly improved. Enriching, degrading, and detecting dye molecular can be achieved by the simple SERS substrate, and the photo-degradation process was monitored by SERS successfully for the first time, and the sensitivity was improved compare to traditional detection by UV–vis spectroscopy.