ZnO Tips Dotted with Au Nanoparticles—Advanced SERS Determination of Trace Nicotine

Long-term exposure to nicotine causes a variety of human diseases, such as lung damage/adenocarcinoma, nausea and vomiting, headache, incontinence and heart failure. In this work, as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate, zinc oxide (ZnO) tips decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are fabricated and designated as ZnO/Au. Taking advantage of the synergistic effect of a ZnO semiconductor with morphology of tips and AuNPs, the ZnO/Au-based SERS assay for nicotine demonstrates high sensitivity and the limit of detection 8.9 × 10(−12) mol/L is reached, as well as the corresponding linear dynamic detection range of 10(−10)–10(−6) mol/L. Additionally, the signal reproducibility offered by the SERS substrate could realize the reliable determination of trace nicotine in saliva.