Enhanced raman spectroscopy substrate based on graphene oxide for rhodamine 6 G detection

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is widely employed as a highly sensitive technique for detecting various target molecules. Here, we prepared a metal-free graphene oxide (GO) -based SERS substrate. GO was deposited on a SiO₂/Si substrate for Rhodamine 6 G (R6G) molecule detection. The GO SERS substrate shows a significant enhancement as compared to the bare SiO₂/Si substrate due to its superior analyte adsorption and chemical enhancement effects. It demonstrates relatively higher enhancement than the graphene substrate. The intensity of the 613 cm⁻¹ peak exhibited about five times enhancement relative to the graphene substrate. Superior enhancement is likely attributed to the electronegative oxygen functional groups present in GO, which can generate strong local electric fields which enhanced the Raman signal. In addition, these functional groups may also enhance the adsorption efficiency of R6G molecules. The simple and cost-effective non-metallic SERS substrate is suitable for detecting harmful dyes like R6G, contributing to improved food safety and environmental monitoring.