Ratiometric SERS detection of H2O2 and glucose using a pyrroloquinoline skeleton containing molecule as H2O2-responsive probe

The development of rapid and accurate detection methods for H2O2-related metabolites is of great significance in disease diagnosis and efficacy evaluation. Here, we designed a ratiometric SERS sensor to detect H2O2 and glucose using a pyrroloquinoline skeleton containing molecule as H2O2-responsive probe. The SERS-active substrate was a silver cavity array fabricated by electrodepositing silver nanoparticles using the template of high-ordered, closely packed polystyrene spheres. Combining the super fingerprint recognition of SERS and the wane and wax of the Raman peak caused by the molecular structure change before and after reacting with H2O2, the ratio of the SERS intensity between 1587 and 1625 cm−1 had a good correlation with the concentration of H2O2/glucose. The proposed sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity in detecting H2O2 and glucose with a LOD of 6.2 nM. Additionally, the presented SERS sensor demonstrated its great promise in the determination of H2O2-related metabolites in real serum samples.