Copper nanoparticles–containing tellurite glasses: An efficient SERS substrate

This work reports on a new application of CuNPs-containing tellurite glasses as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for detection of the molecular probe 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) at low concentrations. First, the structural features of the glasses were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The glassy nature of the samples was elucidated. Afterwards, the glasses were submitted to heat treatment, resulting in a glass-ceramic, and UV–visible spectroscopy revealed a red-shift in the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band of CuNPs. The glass-ceramic showed better SERS results in comparison to the glass and glass-metal composite, indicating an efficient enhancement mechanism to be investigated. Furthermore, SERS spectra of bpy solutions suggest the effectiveness of CuNPs-containing tellurite glasses as SERS substrate. This work contributes to the development of simple approach in obtaining an efficient SERS substrate. [Display omitted] •Copper nanoparticles-containing tellurite glasses applied as SERS substrate for bpy detection.•The glassy nature of the samples was elucidated.•The glass-ceramic showed a red-shift in the LSPR band of CuNP.•The glass-ceramic showed better SERS results.