SERS imprinted sensor based on Ta2O5/Ag@MIL-101 (Fe) composite for selective detection of 2,6-dichlorophenol

In this work, a novel sensor for selective detection of 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP) is developed by combining the selectivity of molecular imprinting technology (MIPs) with the sensitivity of SERS technology. In order to enhance SERS activity of the substrate, Ag nanoparticles are loaded on Ta 2 O 5 particles by means of photodeposition. The synthesized Ta 2 O 5 @Ag is combined with MIL-101 (Fe) to enrich more target molecules and reduce the limit of detection. Finally, Ta 2 O 5 /Ag/MIL-101(Fe)@MIPs (TAM@MIPs) is synthesized by precipitation polymerization for selective detection of 2,6-DCP. When the concentration of 2,6-DCP changes between the range of 10 −2 ∼ 10 −9 M, the Raman intensity and concentration present a good linear relationship. The correlation coefficient (R 2 ) is 0.9969 and the limit of detection (LOD) of 2,6-DCP is 10 −9 M. Furthermore, Under UV-irradiation, the TAM@MIPs also presents photocatalytic performance, which can effectively degrade the organic interfering molecule adsorbed on its surface and present high-efficiency reproducibility. This method broadens the application field of SERS detection and provides a new procedure for the phenolic pollutant detection.