Flexible SERS substrates with gradient porous Cu structure dealloying from the thermal diffusion couples of Al/Cu stacking foils

Accurate and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates are urgently demanded for the various analytic techniques. The SERS substrates with multimodal and gradient porous structure, utilized for the Rhodamine 6G (R6G) detection, have been designed and successfully fabricated from the thermal diffusion couples of Al and Cu foils via chemical dealloying. The structural inheritance of the initial microstructure of thermal diffusion couple precursors governs the formation of the final layer-by-layer gradient porous Cu with different characteristic pore sizes and morphology. An outmost surface layer of disordered lipstick-like porous structure on the SERS substrates enhances SERS effects as has been expected. The SERS activity of R6G Raman probes on gradient porous Cu is evaluated as a SERS enhancement factor of 6.63 × 10¹² and limit of detection of 2.10 × 10⁻¹⁷ mol/L, higher than other porous SERS substrates. Meanwhile, the present SERS substrates are flexible and exhibit good bending properties due to the unreacted Cu layer as a supporting skeleton and other gradient porous Cu layers. The superior SERS performances are considered to result from the synergetic effects of the surface scattering of porous Cu rods and enhancements of the high electromagnetic fields between the small gaps between the nanopores.