Novel strategy for fabrication of sensing layer on thiol-functionalized fiber-optic tapers and their application as SERS probes

This work presents a new strategy to fabricate optical fiber surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes with high-performance remote sensing prepared by thiol functionalization of silica fiber taper, and further in situ nucleation and growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The prepared fiber probes can effectively identify the analyte 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 2.15 × 10−11 M using a portable commercial Raman spectrometer. Simultaneously, such fiber probes have shown a good reproducibility with the relative standard deviation (RSD) value of 7.6%, and possessed high signal stability at room temperature over one month. Furthermore, this approach provides new insight into the fabrication of fiber SERS probe integrated the advantages in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and stability, which shows great potential for practical SERS applications. [Display omitted] •Hydrothermal growth of AgNPs on the thiol-functionalized fiber taper is reported.•This strategy is new concept for the design of fiber SERS probes.•Such probes exhibited high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and strong stability.•They have the potential to realize the remote and in situ sensing applications.