Micelle–Solvent Synergistic Extraction for Rapid, Cleanup-Free SERS Analysis of Carbendazim in Tobacco Leaves

Abstract

Field-based molecular analysis remains constrained by the need for laboratory-dependent sample pretreatment, which hinders real-time biological monitoring. We introduce micelle–solvent synergistic extraction (MSSE), a cleanup-free sample pretreatment platform that utilizes surfactant micelles to encapsulate target molecules from complex matrices, followed by solvent-induced release, thereby eliminating centrifugation, filtration, and sorbent-based cleanup. MSSE enabled rapid extraction of chemically distinct analytes, including a fungicide, herbicide, and fluorescent dye, from tobacco leaves and demonstrated its feasibility in soil and groundwater, requiring ≤5 min of sample preparation and only 0.9 mL of the extraction mixture. Compared with a representative literature-reported QuEChERS sample-preparation protocol, MSSE reduced solvent consumption by 91.0% and processing time by at least 88.4%. When integrated with portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, MSSE enabled rapid detection of the investigated analytes within the experimentally validated concentration ranges. These results establish MSSE as a rapid sample pretreatment strategy with potential for point-of-need analysis across agricultural and environmental applications.