TiO₂/Ag composite nanowires for a recyclable surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate

Multifunctional TiO₂/Ag composite nanowires are fabricated with a hydrothermal method by precipitating Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the surfaces of TiO₂ nanowires. This hierarchical one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure can be used as a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate with high sensitivity, for detecting the rhodamine 6G (R6G) in a wide range of low concentrations (from 1×10^-6 M to 1×10^-12 M). In addition, the substrate can be self-cleaned under the irradiation of ultraviolet (UV) light due to the superior photocatalytic capacity of the TiO₂/Ag composite nanostructure, making the recycled use of SERS substrates closer to reality. With both the evident SERS performance and high efficiency of photocatalytic capacity, such TiO₂/Ag composite nanowires demonstrate considerable potential in the chemical sensing of organic pollutants.