Ag–ZnO Nanocomposites Are Used for SERS Substrates and Promote the Coupling Reaction of PATP

Noble metal-semiconductor nanocomposites have received extensive attention in Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) due to their unique properties. In this paper, the Ag–ZnO nanocomposites are prepared by hydrothermal growth and simple chemical reduction immersion. The synthesized nanocomposite material simultaneously integrates the individual enhancement effects of the two materials in the SERS, such as the electromagnetic enhancement of silver nanoparticles and the chemical enhancement of ZnO semiconductor materials. Using this substrate, Rhodamine 6G molecules with a concentration as low as 10(−8) M can be detected, and the coupling reaction of PATP can be effectively promoted. The nanocomposite materials prepared by selecting appropriate semiconductor materials and metal materials combined, could be potentially applied, as SERS substrates, in certain catalytic reactions.