Scrolling the Janus MoSeS for Ultrasensitive Detection of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has become an indispensable molecular detection technique, renowned for its exceptional sensitivity and selectivity. However, conventional SERS methods often rely on complex metallic nanostructures, leading to background noise and limitations in performance. This study addresses these challenges by exploring the potential of Janus MoSeS nanoscrolls as SERS substrates of chemical mechanism to achieve the ultrasensitive detection. We employed a room-temperature plasma-assisted method for synthesizing Janus MoSeS, followed by the formation of nanoscroll structures to enhance Raman signal intensity. Comparative SERS experiments revealed that Janus MoSeS nanoscrolls significantly outperformed defective MoSe₂, achieving enhancement factors of 8.04 × 10¹¹ for Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and 1.14 × 10⁷ for Methylene Blue (MB) detection, respectively. The findings indicate that the unique dipole orientation of Janus TMDs contributes to enhanced SERS performance, while the nanoscroll architecture maximizes the effective interaction area with probe molecules. This research presents an approach to develop metal nanoparticle-free, non-plasmonic SERS substrates, thereby advancing the field of excitonic SERS technologies.