Rapid detection of maleic hydrazide based on the hydrogel SERS platform

Maleic hydrazide (MH) is a commonly used plant growth regulator and herbicide. However, due to its potential mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and cytotoxicity, sensitive and rapid detection of MH residues in foods is crucial. Herein, a sensitive and reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for MH based on a self-constructed hydrogel SERS platform is proposed for the first time. The used hydrogel SERS chips contain aggregated Ag nanoparticles (a-AgNPs). Under the irradiation of 785 nm laser, the a-AgNPs provide a large quantity of plasmonic hots to produce strong electromagnetic enhancement. Thus, strong SERS signal of MH can be gained on the hydrogel SERS platform. In addition, the unique network structure of hydrogel greatly improves the anti-interference ability to the complex sample matrix. As a result, the developed SERS sensor for MH shows the advantages of high sensitivity (a low detection limit of 50 ppb), fast response (10 min), and high selectivity. The reliability of the sensor is supported by the satisfactory recoveries of 92.80 - 105.6 % in actual samples (tea and potato). The constructed SERS sensor provides a promising approach for rapid on-site testing of MH residues.