Femtosecond laser patterned superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic substrates with sequential microdroplet evaporation: breaking the SERS efficiency-sensitivity trade-off
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Superhydrophobic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates allow ultrasensitive molecular detection through microliter-scale droplets. However, their widespread application is hindered by prolonged evaporation processes exceeding one hour. This study develops a sequential microdroplet evaporation strategy using femtosecond laser patterned superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic (SH/SHL) substrates. By sequentially evaporating 1 μL analyte units with sequential heating, solute dispersion caused by sustained thermal exposure can be successfully mitigated. Experimental data reveal this method reduces evaporation time for 8 μL R6G from 82 minutes to 4.3 minutes, while retaining the 10 −14 M detection limit through precise deposition control. The SERS substrate demonstrates an enhancement factor of 8.81 × 10 10 , achieving 19-fold efficiency enhancement over conventional approaches. This innovation effectively resolves the efficiency-sensitivity paradox in SH SERS-based detection systems.
Source: Optics Express
DOI: 10.1364/oe.566647
Authors: Haojun Ma, Jiani Liu, Chunbo Li, Jian Yu, Lingjian Meng, Jing Liu, Zhicheng Deng, Leimin Deng, Licun Fang, Huan Yang
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,270
Awards: G1484228875, G5503919423, G8626934966
OpenAlex ID: W4416220709