Nanostructured Tin Oxide as a Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate for the Detection of Nitroaromatic Compounds

Sensing of low concentrations of two nitroaromatic compounds, 1,2-dinitrotoluene and 2-nitrophenol, is presented. The sensing mechanism is based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using nanostructured tin oxide as the SERS-active substrate. The SnOx nanostructures are synthesized by a simple solgel method and doped with Ag and Au. The Raman signal ofa low concentration of the analyte, otherwise extremely weak, becomes significant when the analytes are attached to these substrates. Doping of SnOx nanopowders with Ag and Au leads to a further increase in the Raman intensities. This study demonstrates the scope of ceramic-metal nanocomposites as convenient solid-state SERS sensors for low-level detection.