Multi-channel surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform for pollutant detection in water fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane

A miniature multi-channel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is constructed to achieve rapid delivery of polluted water and specific identification of multiple components. Hg²⁺, organic pollutants, and sodium nitrite are successfully identified by the multi-channel SERS sensor using Cy5, cyclodextrin, and urea in the corresponding detection area. This multi-channel sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity and specificity, with detection limits of 3.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ M for Hg²⁺, 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M for aniline, 6.9 × 10⁻⁹ M for diphenylamine, 9.1 × 10⁻⁸ M for PCB-77, and 7.5 × 10⁻⁹ M for pyrene, and 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ M for sodium nitrite. Compared with traditional analysis techniques, this method exhibited excellent recovery for the water pollutants ranging from 82.1 to 115.8%. The PDMS-based microchannel allows for simultaneous and rapid identification of multiple environmental pollutants, offering a portable detection method for emergency testing of environmental pollutants and routine determination of water pollutants.