Surface enhanced Raman scattering of molecules related to highly ordered gold cavities

We presented a controlled particles‐in‐cavity (PIC) pattern for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. The periodic gold cavity array was fabricated by electrodeposition using highly ordered polystyrene spheres as a template. The as‐prepared gold cavities can be used as a SERS active substrate with significant spectral enhancement and reproducibility, which was evaluated by SERS signals using 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (4‐MBA) as probe molecules. The surface of these gold cavities was further functionalized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide molecules, which may immobilize the 4‐MBA‐modified silver nanoparticles in the gold cavity to form a PIC structure via the electrostatic interaction. We have demonstrated that there exists a pH window for the immobilization of the nanoparticles inside cavities. Therefore, the silver nanoparticles can be selectively immobilized into the functionalized gold cavities under the optimized pH value of the media. Further enhancement of the Raman scattering of the labeled molecules can be achieved due to the interconnection between the silver nanoparticles and gold cavity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple weak interaction‐assisted SERS detection platform for triadimefon

In this paper, a surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) detection platform for the widely used pesticide of triadimefon (TDF) is described. TDF is difficult to connect to the gold/silver SERS substrate, but the optical properties of the probe molecule 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (4‐MBA), including the peak intensity and the peak position, are easily altered by the multiple weak interaction‐assisted SERS detection platform. The limit of detection (LOD) of this method is 1.0 × 10^‐9 M, and the linear range is from 1.0 × 10^‐6 M to 1.0 × 10^‐9 M. The linear region is from 1.0 × 10^‐6 M to 1.0 × 10^‐9 M, described by the equation y = 884.01x + 2.24 with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9990. Interference of foreign metal ions with higher concentrations than common mineral water is too weak to the determination. Furthermore, physical insights into the phenomena and the detection mechanism were obtained and investigated theoretically. The preferential conformation of the complex and reduced density gradient (RDG) calculation results indicated that the interactions between TDF and 4‐MBA consisted of multiple weak interactions through two hydrogen bonds and one van der Waals interaction. The intermolecular interaction was negative for the charge transfer from the SERS substrate to the probe molecule; thus, the peak intensity decreased. TDF interacts directly with the carboxyl of the probe molecule and consequently has an effect on the ring vibrations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of solid substrate on the SERS‐based immunoassay: a comparative study

A comparative study of the solid substrates used in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based immunoassay is made in this paper. Five different substrates were prepared and divided into two groups with and without SERS activity. They are (1) a poly‐L ‐lysine slide, (2) a glutaraldehyde (GA)‐aminosilane slide, (3) a substrate assembled with silver nanoparticles, (4) a substrate assembled with silver nanoparticles and functionalized with GA–aminosilane and (5) a substrate assembled with gold nanoparticles, of which the first two are substrates are without SERS activity and the latter three are with SERS activity because of the existence of the metallic nanoparticles. The SERS experimental results show that the immunoassay performed on an SERS‐active substrate is more effective than that employing the inactive substrate. Among the inactive substrates, the GA–aminosilane slide with a better ability for antibody immobilization leads to a more sensitive immunoassay than the poly‐L ‐lysine slide. Moreover, for SERS‐based immunoassay, the substrate with assembled silver nanoparticles has an advantage of higher SERS enhancement capacity over the substrate assembled with gold nanoparticles. This work indicates that SERS‐active substrates play important and positive roles in sensitive SERS‐based immunoassay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self‐assembled silver nanoparticle monolayer on glassy carbon: an approach to SERS substrate

In this paper, the fabrication of an active surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate by self‐assembled silver nanoparticles on a monolayer of 4‐aminophenyl‐group‐modified glassy carbon (GC) is reported. Silver nanoparticles are attached to the substrate through the electrostatic force between the negatively charged silver nanoparticles and the positively charged 4‐aminophenyl groups on GC. The active SERS substrate has been characterized by means of tapping‐mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), indicating that large quantities of silver nanoparticles are uniformly coated on the substrate. Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and p‐aminothiophenol (p‐ATP) are used as the probe molecules for SERS, resulting in high sensitivity to the SERS response, with the detection limit reaching as low as 10⁻⁹ M . This approach is easily controlled and reproducible, and more importantly, can extend the range of usable substrates to carbon‐based materials for SERS with high sensitivity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption and reduction reactions of anthraquinone derivatives on gold electrodes studied with electrochemical surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Electrochemical surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC‐SERS), combined with cyclic voltammetry, and the density functional theoretical (DFT) method were used to investigate self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) adsorption and reduction processes. Here, we choose the system of interest, being thiolacetyl‐terminated 2‐phenylene ethynylene‐substituted anthraquinone molecule (2‐AQ) on gold electrodes in buffered aqueous and aprotic solutions. In the buffered aqueous solution, the results of cyclic voltammetry and EC‐SERS measurements, as well as DFT calculations, indicate that the adsorbed molecules pass through a two‐electron two‐proton reduction reaction with cathodic polarization. In particular, the latter two methods confirmed the structural changes of SAMs during the process of redox reaction, 2‐AQ + 2e + 2H⁺ → 2‐AQH₂, where 2‐AQ and 2‐AQH₂ are the oxidized and reduced forms, respectively. In aprotic solutions (acetonitile), a stepwise reaction mechanism was proposed on the basis of the results of EC‐SERS and DFT calculations. The first reduction peak should be a half reaction process 2‐AQ + e → 2‐AQ⁻, where 2‐AQ⁻ is a single electron reduced form. Compared with that of 2‐AQ SAMs in the buffered aqueous solution, the results of EC‐SERS and DFT calculations in aprotic solution suggested that the solvent effect significantly influences the redox process of 2‐AQ in electrochemical interfaces. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved performances on surface‐enhanced Raman scattering based on electrochemically roughened gold substrates modified with SiO2 nanoparticles

In this work, we use electrochemical oxidation–reduction cycles (ORC) methods to prepare surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐active gold substrates modified with SiO₂ nanoparticles to improve the corresponding SERS performances. Based on the modified substrates, the SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) exhibits a higher intensity by 3‐fold of magnitude, as compared with that of R6G adsorbed on a SERS‐active Au substrate without the modification of SiO₂ nanoparticles. Moreover, the SERS enhancement capabilities of the modified and the unmodified Au substrates are seriously destroyed at temperatures higher than 250 and 200 °C, respectively. These results indicate that the modification of SiO₂ nanoparticles can improve the thermal stability of SERS‐active substrates. The aging in SERS intensity is also depressed on this modified Au substrate due to the contribution of SiO₂ nanoparticles to SERS effects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cooling dynamics of self‐assembled monolayer coating for integrated gold nanocrystals on a glass substrate

Picosecond time‐resolved X‐ray diffraction has been used to study the nanoscale thermal transportation dynamics of bare gold nanocrystals and thiol‐based self‐assembled monolayer (SAM)‐coated integrated gold nanocrystals on a SiO₂ glass substrate. A temporal lattice expansion of 0.30–0.33% was observed in the bare and SAM‐coated nanocrystals on the glass substrate; the thermal energy inside the gold nanocrystals was transported to the contacted substrate through the gold–SiO₂ interface. The interfacial thermal conductivity between the single‐layered gold nanocrystal film and the SiO₂ substrate is estimated to be 45 MW m^?2 K^?1 from the decay of the Au 111 peak shift, which was linearly dependent on the transient temperature. For the SAM‐coated gold nanocrystals, the thermal dissipation was faster than that of the bare gold nanocrystal film. The thermal flow from the nanocrystals to the SAM‐coated molecules promotes heat dissipation from the laser‐heated SAM‐coated gold nanocrystals. The thermal transportation of the laser‐heated SAM‐coated gold nanocrystal film was analyzed using the bidirectional thermal dissipation model.     

溶液酸碱性对金纳米粒子在端基功能化单分子膜表面组装影响的SERS光谱研究

在4,4’-二硫联吡啶在Au表面形成自组装单分子层膜的基础上,采用表面增强拉曼散射光谱(SERS)研究了在不同pH值条件下金纳米粒子在4,4’-二硫联吡啶自组装单分子膜/Au体系表面的组装。研究结果表明,由于处于单分子膜表面的吡啶环中氮原子的质子化程度随溶液环境中pH值的变化而变化,使得金纳米粒子与单分子膜表面间的结合作用程度不同,由此会引起金纳米粒子在单分子膜表面的覆盖度存在差异,并最终导致所观测到的4-巯基吡啶自组装单分子膜的SERS光谱强度存在明显的差异。而且,令人感兴趣的是,所观测到的SERS谱峰强度随金纳米粒子组装时pH值的变化呈现出明显的规律性。结合分子结构特征的分析,初步阐明了SERS谱峰强度随pH值这一组装条件的改变而发生规律性变化的内在原因。     

Off-on Fluorescent Sensor from On-off Sensor: Exploiting Silver Nanoparticles Influence on the Organic Fluorophore Fluorescence

Turn-off fluorescence of organic fluorophore, 2-{[4-(2H-Naphtho[1,2-d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)-phenyl]carboxylic acid (NTPC), with metal ions (Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺) was converted into turn-on fluorescent sensor for biologically important Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ metal ions in aqueous solution at ppb level by exploiting strong fluorescence quenching phenomena of metal nanoparticles when organic fluorophores assembled in the vicinity of metallic surface. Amino acid attached phenolic ligands (L) were used as reducing as well as functional capping agents in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The hydrogen bonding functionality of L facilitated the assembling of NTPC in the vicinity of metallic surfaces that leads to complete quenching of NTPC fluorescence. The strong and selective coordination of L with metal ions (Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺) separates the NTPC from the AgNPs surface that turn-on the NTPC fluorescence. HR-TEM and absorption studies confirm the metal coordination with L and separation of NTPC from the AgNPs surface. Mn²⁺ showed selective red shifting of NTPC fluorescence after 12 h with all sample. Effects of different amino acid attached phenolic ligands were explored in the metal ion sensitivity and selectivity. This approach demonstrates the multifunctional utility of metal NPs in the development of turn-on fluorescence sensor for paramagnetic heavy metal ions in aqueous solution.

A facile high‐performance SERS substrate based on broadband near‐perfect optical absorption

Plasmonic systems based on metal nanoparticles on a metal film with high optical absorption have generated great interests for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In this study, we prepare a broadband‐visible light absorber consisting Au nanotriangles on the surface of a continuous optically opaque gold film separated with a dielectric SiO₂ layer, which is a typical metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) system, and demonstrate it as an efficient SERS substrate. The MIM nanostructure, prepared using nanosphere lithography with a very large area, shows a broadband with absorption exceeding 90% in the wavelength regime of 630–920 nm. We observe an average SERS enhancement factor (EF) as large as 4.9 × 10⁶ with a 22‐fold increase compared to a single layer of Au nanotriangles directly on a quartz substrate. A maximum SERS EF can be achieved by optimizing the thicknesses of the dielectric layer to control the optical absorption. Owing to the simple, productive, and inexpensive fabrication technique, our MIM nanostructure could be a potential candidate for SERS applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gold nanoparticle-coated silicon cone array for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

ABSTRACT

We demonstrate a silicon cone array substrate coated with gold nanoparticles and which was highly sensitive, homogeneous, and provided a large area for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A deep reactive ion-etching process was used to fabricate the high-density silicon cone array, and gold nanoparticles were formed on the silicon cone surface by magnetron sputtering. The substrate was tested with 10^?6 M rhodamine 6 G solution. Enhancement of the substrate was about 60-fold greater than that of flat substrate. Moreover, SERS signals obtained from 24 random areas on the substrate showed good homogeneity with an average standard deviation of 3.9%.     

A three‐dimensional surface‐enhanced Raman scattering substrate: Au nanoparticle supramolecular self‐assembly in anodic aluminum oxide template

A three‐dimensional surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate via the self‐assembly of properly sized Au nanoparticles in anodic aluminum oxide templates was designed and prepared. Au nanoparticles first underwent hydrophobic surface modification. Then, the hydrophobic Au nanoparticles self‐assembled, aggregated and formed many hot spots in the anodic aluminum oxide templates through a supramolecular interaction. We chose thiophenol as a probe molecule to evaluate the SERS enhancement ability of this three‐dimensional substrate. The enhancement factor was calculated to be 4.6 × 10⁶ under the radiation of a 785‐nm laser. By further comparing SERS signals from different points on the same substrate, we confirmed that this substrate possessed good reproducibility and could be applied for SERS detection. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interfacial kinetic enhancement of metal ion adsorption on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers

The adsorption of metal ions, a type of surface reaction on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a gold surface composed of 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT) with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), was monitored by in situ surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements. The differential SPR reflectance (ΔR) enables the kinetics of adsorption of Pt²⁺ on the mixed SAMs to be investigated. Unlike single HDT SAM, kinetic analyses of the mixed SAMs showed that the rate of adsorption of Pt²⁺ was enhanced and that it was highly dependent on the fraction of MUA present. These SPR measurements suggest that the adsorption rate of metal ions can be readily manipulated simply by using mixed SAMs.     

金纳米颗粒阵列基底的化学置换制备及其表面增强拉曼散射特性研究

表面增强拉曼(SERS)作为一种分析手段,具有高灵敏度、高选择性、高重复性、非破坏性等优点,在过去的几十年中,被广泛应用在成分检测、环境科学、生物医药及传感器等领域。其中以金、银等贵金属纳米颗粒薄膜在表面增强拉曼(SERS)活性基底方面得到了更为广泛的应用。SERS技术一个关键的因素是如何制设计并备具有大面积、高增强能力及高重复性、可循环使用的SERS基底。通常,贵金属纳米颗粒规则阵列结构的单元颗粒电磁增强特性及其颗粒间的电磁耦合增强特性的综合作用可大力提升SERS基底的探测性能。然而,利用传统微纳米加工方法如光刻、电子束光刻等方法制备得到的贵金属纳米阵列结构的表面粗糙度不够理想。结合光刻与化学置换方法制备金纳米颗粒四方点阵列孔洞结构,并研究其作为SERS基底的电磁增强特性。具体研究利用光刻法在硅衬底上制备了规则排列的四方点阵列孔洞结构,用磁控溅射在其表面镀上金属铁膜;接着在衬底上旋涂浓度为1.893 8 mol·L-1的氯金酸液膜,在孔洞内铁和氯金酸发生置换反应,进而孔洞生成金纳米颗粒,最终得到金纳米颗粒四方点阵SERS活性基底。采用罗丹明6G(R6G)分子作为探测分子测试不同金纳米颗粒阵列结构基底的SERS谱。实验结果表明,随着化学置换反应时间的延长,金纳米颗粒排列更加紧凑有序,SERS谱增强性能更好。     

偶氮苯自组装“三明治”体系的增强拉曼光谱

偶氮苯自组装“三明治”体系的增强拉曼光谱于化忠张锦张浩力朱涛刘忠范（北京大学化学与分子工程学院智能材料研究中心北京１００８７１）ＥｎｈａｎｃｅｄＲａｍａｎＳｃａｔｅｒｉｎｇＦｒｏｍ“Ｓａｎｄｗｉｃｈｅｄ”ＡｚｏｂｅｎｚｅｎｅＳｅｌｆ┐ａｓｓｅｍｂｌ...     

一种用表面增强拉曼光谱进行免疫检测的方法

一种结合表面增强拉曼(SERS)技术和纳米粒子标记技术,通过银增强来实现免疫检测的方法。将p-巯基苯甲酸(MBA)作为探针,固定在免疫金溶胶粒子表面形成纳米标记,其与被基底捕获抗原分子发生免疫识别。通过银增强技术,在"三明治"结构对探针进行拉曼检测。     

新型膜状金纳米活性基底的制备及拉曼光谱增强研究

贵金属纳米粒子作为增强基底已经广泛应用于表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)研究,传统的贵金属纳米基底在制备方法、增强能力、准确性等方面仍有待改进和提高。采用一种简易、高效的方法制备出了一种具有膜状结构的新型金纳米增强基底：以聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)作保护剂和粘结剂,通过化学还原法制备金纳米基底。实验考察了还原剂种类、反应温度、体系pH和柠檬酸钠浓度对反应的影响,制备出增强效果最佳的新型膜状金纳米基底。利用罗丹明B作为探针分子,考察基底的SERS特征,其增强因子可达6.5×105。利用扫描电镜(SEM)对纳米粒子的结构进行了表征,结果表明其具有膜状结构,且比表面积大,利于分子的吸附。相比于传统的贵金属纳米基底,该实验所制备的新型膜状金纳米基底增强效果更佳、灵敏度和准确度更高,具有很大的应用前景。     

Detection of the potential tumor marker of AFP using surface‐enhanced Raman scattering‐based immunoassay

The development of rapid, highly sensitive detection methods for α‐fetoprotein (AFP) is very important. As hepatocellular carcinoma is closely related to the level of AFP in the blood, it is necessary to maintain an AFP concentration below the safety limit. In this paper, we propose a universal, rapid, sensitive, and highly specific immunoassay system utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). This new system features a sandwich structure combining mercaptobenzoic acid‐labeled immunogold nanoparticles with the antigen and the antibody atop a pre‐designed substrate made of a glass slide modified with AuNPs. This SERS‐based immunoassay can detect AFP concentrations as low as 100 pg/ml, which is a significant improvement on the capabilities of the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method. A good linear relationship between the SERS peak intensity and the logarithm of antigen concentrations (from 1 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml) was observed. This technique provides an effective model for the detection of biomarkers in medical diagnostics, criminal investigation, and other fields. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption study of 4‐MBA on TiO2 nanoparticles by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In this paper, the adsorption of 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (4‐MBA) on TiO₂ nanoparticles was studied mostly by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and UV‐vis spectroscopy, at different pH values as well as under different temperatures and concentrations. The results show that the 4‐MBA molecules are bonded to the TiO₂ surface both through the sulfur atoms and COO⁻ groups at neutral or alkaline pH, but only through the sulfur atom at acidic pH. Furthermore, the 4‐MBA molecules possess high adsorptive stability on TiO₂ at a comparatively high temperature (150 °C). Concentration‐dependent SERS experiments show that the saturation concentration for 4‐MBA adsorbed on TiO₂ is about 10⁻³ M in natural case (pH = 6). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methylene blue as a DNA probe for a comparative study of Cd, Pb and Cr ions binding to calf thymus DNA

Methylene blue (MB) was developed as a sensitive DNA probe for a comparative study of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions binding with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA). The fluorescence intensity of the MB-ctDNA system increased dramatically when heavy metal ions (Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions) were added, which indicated that some of the bound MB molecules were released from the ctDNA base pairs. To compare the binding affinity of these three different heavy metal ions with ctDNA, the relationships between the fluorescence intensity of the MB-ctDNA-M (Metal ions) system and the concentration ratio of [M]/[DNA(p)] were investigated. The results showed that the order of the binding affinity of heavy metal ions with ctDNA had the following sequence: Cr³⁺> Cd²⁺>Pb²⁺. This order was further proved by the effects of heavy metal ions on the number of MB bound to ctDNA, the measurements of binding constants of these heavy metal ions to ctDNA, and the effects of heavy metal ions on the absorption of the MB-ctDNA system. In addition, the interaction mechanisms of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions with ctDNA were also discussed in detail. These results indicated that their interaction mechanisms are related to the concentration ratios of heavy metal ions to DNA.