Pesticides represent a significant ecological and public health concern due to their persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation in food chains, and potential toxicity upon prolonged exposure. As agriculture expands and pesticide use increases, the need for rapid and accurate detection tools becomes increasingly pressing. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) stands out as a highly sensitive analytical technique, leveraging localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to amplify Raman signals. Plasmonic nanoparticles—most notably gold and silver—are prime candidates for such applications, as their LSPR properties can be precisely tuned by adjusting particle size, shape, and composition.
In this study, we leveraged the unique optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles by functionalizing them with carefully selected ligand molecules that exhibit a strong affinity for specific pesticide residues. This design not only directs and traps the target analytes onto the nanoparticle surfaces but also magnifies the Raman signal, enabling the detection of pesticides at trace concentrations even in highly complex matrices. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of these ligand-coated plasmonic nanoparticles in achieving ultralow detection limits. Consequently, this SERS-based approach offers a promising platform for on-site pesticide monitoring and holds great potential for improving agricultural safety and environmental monitoring.
