title: Gold-sputtered Blu-ray discs: simple and inexpensive SERS substrates for sensitive detection of melamine.
abstract: Nanostructured gold substrates provide chemically stable, signal-enhancing substrates for the sensitive detection of a variety of compounds through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Recent developments in advanced fabrication methods have enabled the manufacture of SERS substrates with repeatable surface nanostructures that provide reproducible quantitative analysis, historically a weakness of the SERS technique. Here, we describe the novel use of gold-sputtered Blu-ray disc surfaces as SERS substrates. The unique surface features and composition of the Blu-ray disc recording surface lead to the formation of gold nano-islands and nanogaps following simple gold sputtering, without any background peaks from the substrate. The SERS performance of this substrate is strong and reproducible with an enhancement factor (EF) of 10(3) for melamine. A limit of detection (LOD) for this compound of 70 ppb and average reproducibility of ±12 % were achieved. Gold-sputtered Blu-ray discs thus offer an excellent alternative to more exotic gold SERS substrates prepared by advanced, time-consuming and expensive methods. Graphical abstract AFM 3D images of 1-μm(2) sections of uncoated and gold-sputtered recordable Blu-ray disc (BD-R) surfaces and the SERS signal obtained on the gold-sputtered surface for a 1000 ppm aqueous solution of melamine.
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Michél K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nieuwoudt
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jacob W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Reece N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Oosterbeek
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nina I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Novikova
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|The Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Xindi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.|Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Malmström
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. david.williams@auckland.ac.nz.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. david.williams@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. c.simpson@auckland.ac.nz.|The Photon Factory, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. c.simpson@auckland.ac.nz.|School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. c.simpson@auckland.ac.nz.|The Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Auckland, New Zealand. c.simpson@auckland.ac.nz.|Department of Physics, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St., Auckland, New Zealand. c.simpson@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: M Cather
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Simpson
keywords: Blu-ray discs; Melamine; SERS; SERS substrates