Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO/Ag Nanocomposites for Recyclable Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate

Multifunctional flower-like ZnO/Ag nanocomposites were prepared by a facile, green and one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were investigated by using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in detail. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites were also investigated. The results show that the amounts of NaOH play a key role in controlling the morphologies and properties of these nanocomposites. The flower-like ZnO/Ag nanocomposites exhibit the best photocatalytic performance for rhodamine 6G (R6G). Meanwhile, the optimized nanocomposites (the flower-like ZnO/Ag nanocomposites) are then employed to study the SERS performance, which also show excellent SERS activity. The photodegradation and SERS results reveal that ZnO/Ag nanocomposites act as promising candidates for a new substrate and exhibit high recyclability in the detection of organic molecules.