Rapid Detection of Cypermethrin by Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Technique
Cypermethrin is a toxic pesticide in the pyrethroid group. A Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) based sensor has been developed to achieve simple pesticide sensing. In this work, rapid detection of cypermethrin by using the handheld Raman spectroscopy coupled with SERS substrate was demonstrated. SERS-active silver nanorods substrate was used to enhance Raman signals of test samples. The effect of exposure time and drop volume of sample was studied for cypermethrin measurement. The results found that the silver nanorods substrate can be used to measure cypermethrin in the range of 10-6 to 10-3 M with a handheld Raman spectrometer. Furthermore, the Raman signal of cypermethrin was confirmed by measuring solid cypermethrin with the standard Raman spectrometer. SERS substrate was competent to detect cypermethrin with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10-6 M.
Figure 1. Raman spectrum of cypermethrin (solid form) detected by the Renishaw Raman Spectrometer with scope 50X, 10s exposure time and 10mW laser power.