A durian-shaped multilayer core-shell SERS substrate for flow magnetic detection of pesticide residues on foods

A new type of durian-shaped Fe3O4@Au@Ag@Au (DFAAA) multilayer core-shell composite was prepared as an efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. The optimization process and SERS enhancement mechanism of the substrate were further explained with finite-difference time-domain simulation. The dense and uniform spiny array on the DFAAA surface had abundant "hot spots", greatly improving sensitivity, uniformity and reproducibility, with a Raman enhancement factor of 3.01 × 107 and storage-life of 30 d. A "flow magnetic detection method" was proposed to realize rapid and flexible detection of pesticide residues on the surface of different foods including fish and apple. The limit of detection of malachite green and thiram on the fish and apple surfaces were 0.13 and 0.18 ng/cm2, respectively. With its high SERS performance and good magnetic, the DFAAA possessed great application prospects as a facile SERS substrate for rapid and non-destructive detection of trace pesticide residues on foods.