Improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering on optimum electrochemically roughened silver substrates

In this work, the effects of preparation conditions used in roughening silver substrates by electrochemical triangular-wave oxidation-reduction cycles (ORC) on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were first investigated. The optimum roughening conditions for obtaining strongest SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) are as follows. Ag electrodes were cycled in deoxygenated aqueous solutions containing 0.1 M NaCl from −0.3 to +0.2 V versus Ag/AgCl at 25 mV s⁻¹ for five scans. The SERS of R6G adsorbed on this optimum procedure-prepared roughened Ag substrate exhibits a higher intensity by one order of magnitude, as compared with that of R6G adsorbed on a normally roughened Ag substrate.     

Trace molecules detectable by surface-enhanced Raman scattering based on newly developed Ag and Au nanoparticles-containing substrates

In this work, Ag and Au nanoparticles-containing substrates were first developed for obtaining a stronger surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensity of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and reducing the limit of detection (LOD) of trace molecules. First, the optimum electrochemically roughening conditions employed on Ag substrates for obtaining strongest SERS of R6G were investigated. Then the optimally roughened Ag substrates were incubated in the prepared Cl- and Au-containing solutions for different couples of minutes to undergo the galvanic replacement reactions. Encouragingly, the SERS of R6G adsorbed on this roughened Ag substrate modified by the replacement of Ag with Au for 5 min exhibits a higher intensity by 8-fold of magnitude, as compared with the SERS of R6G adsorbed on an unmodified roughened Ag substrate. Moreover, the practical LOD of R6G can be reduced by one order of magnitude from 1 ppq to 0.1 ppq. Further investigations indicate that the compositions of complexes formed on the substrates demonstrate decided effects on the improved SERS.     

Improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering on electrochemically roughened silver substrates prepared in bielectrolyte solutions

In this work, the effect of supplemental LiClO₄ electrolytes in KCl solutions used in roughening silver substrates by electrochemical triangular-wave oxidation-reduction cycles (ORC) on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was first investigated. To prepare SERS-active substrates by ORC procedures, electrolytes of KCl were generally employed. In contrast, LiClO₄ ones were unsuitable for producing SERS-active substrates. Encouragingly, SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on the roughened Ag substrate prepared in an aqueous solution containing KCl and LiClO₄ electrolytes exhibits a higher intensity by one order of magnitude, as compared with that of R6G adsorbed on a roughened Ag substrate prepared in a solution only containing KCl. Further investigations indicate that the oxidation state of Cl on the roughened Ag substrate demonstrates decided effects on this improved SERS.     

Using a photochemical method and chitosan to prepare surface-enhanced Raman scattering–active silver nanoparticles

In this paper, we report a new strategy for the preparation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), using a photochemical method and the presence of chitosan (Ch). First, Ag substrates were subjected to electrochemical oxidation/reduction cycles (ORCs) in deoxygenated aqueous solutions containing 0.1 M HNO₃ and 1 g L⁻¹ Ch (pH 6.9, adjusted by adding 1 M NaOH), resulting in Ag⁺–Ch complexes. These substrates were then irradiated with UV light at various wavelengths to yield the SERS-active Ag NPs. A stronger SERS effect was observed on the SERS-active Ag NPs prepared by using UV irradiation at 310 nm. The pH of the solution and the presence of Ch during the preparation process both affected the resulting SERS activities.     

Strategy for obtaining improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering by combining electrochemical and plasmas technologies

In this work, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active gold substrates were first developed by combining the technologies of oxidation–reduction cycles (ORCs) and plasmas treatments in roughening metal substrates. First, a gold substrate was treated by argon plasmas. Then the treated gold substrate was further roughened by triangular-wave ORCs in an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M HCl. Encouragingly, the SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on this roughened gold substrate modified by argon plasmas pretreatment exhibits a higher intensity by 10-fold of magnitude and a better resolution, as compared with the SERS of R6G adsorbed on an unmodified roughened gold substrate. Meanwhile, the probing concentration of R6G adsorbed on the modified substrate can be reduced by one order. It was also found that the pretreatment of argon plasmas demonstrates a positive effect on the (2 2 0) face of Au partly changing into the (1 1 1) face with the lowest surface energy after the ORCs roughening, which is contributive to the improved SERS observed.     

Fabrication of bimetallic microfluidic surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensors on paper by screen printing

Au–Ag bimetallic microfluidic, dumbbell-shaped, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors were fabricated on cellulose paper by screen printing. These printed sensors rely on a sample droplet injection zone, and a SERS detection zone at either end of the dumbbell motif, fabricated by printing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) successively with microscale precision. The microfluidic channel was patterned using an insulating ink to connect these two zones and form a hydrophobic circuit. Owing to capillary action of paper in the millimeter-sized channels, the sensor could enable self-filtering of fluids to remove suspended particles within wastewater without pumping. This sensor also allows sensitive SERS detection, due to advantageous combination of the strong surface enhancement of Ag NPs and excellent chemical stability of Au NPs. The SERS performance of the sensors was investigated by employing the probe rhodamine 6G, a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.1 × 10⁻¹³ M and an enhancement factor of 8.6 × 10⁶ could be achieved. Moreover, the dumbbell-shaped bimetallic sensors exhibited good stability with SERS performance being maintained over 14 weeks in air, and high reproducibility with less than 15% variation in spot-to-spot SERS intensity. Using these dumbbell-shaped bimetallic sensors, substituted aromatic pollutants in wastewater samples could be quantitatively analyzed, which demonstrated their excellent capability for rapid trace pollutant detection in wastewater samples in the field without pre-separation.     

Effects of electrolytes used in roughening gold substrates by oxidation–reduction cycles on surface-enhanced Raman scattering

In this work, the effects of electrolytes used in roughening gold substrates by electrochemical methods on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were first investigated. First, gold substrates were roughened by triangular-wave oxidation–reduction cycles (ORC) in aqueous solutions containing different kinds of 0.1 M electrolytes. Then Rhodamine 6G (R6G) was used as Raman probe to examine this effect of electrolytes used on the SERS observed. The result indicates that the highest intensity of SERS of R6G was obtained on the roughened Au substrate prepared in 0.1 M NaCl, which was less used in the literature. Meanwhile, it was also found that the rougher surface morphology observed, which is contributive to the higher SERS obtained, is corresponding to the smaller cathodic peak area shown in the cyclic voltammograms for roughening the Au substrate.     

Differential SERS activity of gold and silver nanostructures enabled by adsorbed poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

We report that poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), a common stabilizer of colloidal dispersions of noble metal nanostructures, has a dramatic effect on their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and enables highly selective SERS detection of analytes of various type and charge. Nanostructures studied include PVP-stabilized Au-Ag nanoshells synthesized by galvanic exchange reaction of citrate-reduced Ag nanoparticles (NPs), as well as solid citrate-reduced Ag and Au NPs, both before and after stabilization with PVP. All nanostructures were characterized in terms of their size, surface plasmon resonance wavelength, surface charge, and chemical composition. While the SERS activities of the parent citrate-reduced Ag and Au NPs are similar for rhodamine 6G (R6G) and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (BPE) at various pH values, PVP-stabilized nanostructures demonstrate large differences in SERS enhancement factors (EFs) between these analytes depending on their chemical nature and protonation state. At pH values higher than BPE's pK(a2) of 5.65, where the analyte is largely unprotonated, the PVP-coated Au-Ag nanoshells showed a high SERS EF of >10(8). In contrast, SERS EFs were 10(3)- to 10(5)-fold lower for the protonated form of BPE at lower pH values, or for the usually highly SERS-active cationic R6G. The differential SERS activity of PVP-stabilized nanostructures is a result of discriminatory binding of analytes within-adsorbed PVP monolayer and a subsequent increase of analyte concentration at the nanostructure surface. Our experimental and theoretical quantum chemical calculations show that BPE binding with PVP-stabilized Au-Ag nanoshells is stronger when the analyte is in its unprotonated form as compared to its cationic, protonated form at a lower pH.     

Plasmonic Pollen Grain Nanostructures: A Three-Dimensional Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)-Active Substrate

A new route has been developed to design plasmonic pollen grain-like nanostructures (PGNSs) as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrate. The nanostructures consisting of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles along with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoclusters as spacers were found highly SERS-active. The morphology of PGNSs and those obtained in the intermediate stage along with each elemental evolution has been investigated by a high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy. The optical band gaps and crystal structure have been identified by UV-vis absorption and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurements, respectively. For PGNSs specimen, three distinct absorption bands related to constituent elements Ag, Au, and ZnO were observed, whereas XRD peaks confirmed the existence of Ag, Au, and ZnO within the composition of PGNSs. SERS-activity of PGNSs was confirmed using Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as Raman-active dyes. Air-cooled solid-state laser kits of 532 nm were used as excitation sources in SERS measurements. SERS enhancement factor was estimated for PGNSs specimen and was found as high as 3.5×10⁶. Finite difference time domain analysis was carried out to correlate the electromagnetic (EM) near-field distributions with the experiment results achieved under this investigation. EM near-field distributions at different planes were extracted for s-, p- and 45° of incident polarizations. EM near-field distributions for such nanostructures as well as current density distributions under different circumstances were demonstrated and plausible scenarios were elucidated given SERS enhancements. Such generic fabrication route as well as correlated investigation is not only indispensable to realize the potential of SERS applications but also unveil the underneath plasmonic characteristics of complex SERS-active nanostructures.     

Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectra of faceted diamonds

In this work, the contributions of cationic and elemental gold on roughened gold substrates to surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of polypyrrole (PPy) films were first investigated. First, a gold substrate was roughened by a triangular wave oxidation-reduction cycle (ORC) in an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M KCl. Then, the roughened gold substrate was further reduced by applying a cathodic potential for a fixed time to control the quantity of unreduced cationic Au on the roughened Au substrate. The result indicates that the content of cationic Au is responsible for the improved SERS of PPy electrodeposited on this roughened Au substrate. This phenomenon can be attributed to the interfacial charge transfer from PPy to the roughened Au substrate by the aid of cationic Au.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active silver nanostructures with two domains

Generally, a controllable and reproduced surface roughness for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies can be generated through control of the electrochemical oxidation–reduction cycles (ORC) procedure. In this work, we propose a new sonoelectrochemical approach to prepare SERS-active substrates with two domain-Ag nanostructures. The method is based on a strategy of deposition–dissolution cycles (DDCs) by using a cathodic overpotential and an anodic overpotential from open circuit potential (OCP) in turn under sonication. The prepared SERS-active substrate demonstrates large Raman scattering enhancement for adsorbed Rhodamine 6G (R6G) with an enhancement factor of 2.3 × 10⁸ and a limit of detection of 2 × 10⁻¹³ M. The improved SERS performances can be successfully explained from the viewpoints of electromagnetic (EM) and chemical (CHEM) enhancements.     

Sonoelectrochemical synthesis of spike-like gold-silver alloy nanoparticles from bulk substrates and the application on surface-enhanced Raman scattering

The synthesis of non-spherical spike-like gold-silver alloy nanoparticles on platinum substrates was first developed by sonoelectrochemical methods in this study. First, a silver substrate was roughened by a triangular-wave oxidation-reduction cycle (ORC) in an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M HCl. Silver-containing complexes were found in the solution after the ORC treatment. Then a gold substrate was subsequently roughened by the similar ORC treatment in the same silver complexes-containing solution. After this procedure, Au- and Ag-containing complexes were left in the solution. Subsequently, the Au working electrode was immediately replaced by a Pt electrode. A cathodic overpotential was applied under controlled sonication and slight stirring to synthesize Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles on the Pt substrate. Encouragingly, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of Rhodamine 6G on the Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles-deposited Pt substrate exhibits a higher intensity by eight-fold of magnitude and a better resolution, as compared to that obtained on the Au nanoparticles-deposited Pt substrate.     

银/金纳米线阵列表面增强拉曼基底的制备及对孔雀石绿的高灵敏度检测

利用种子介导的软模板生长方法制备了金纳米线(Au NWs)阵列, 通过调节生长温度控制Au NWs阵列的形貌, 最后在经硼氢化钠(NaBH₄)清洗过的Au NWs阵列上化学沉积银纳米颗粒(Ag NPs), 制得银/金纳米线(Ag/Au NWs)阵列作为表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)基底. 选用罗丹明6G(R6G)作为拉曼探针分子测定了Ag/Au NWs阵列的SERS性能. 结果表明, Ag/Au NWs阵列作为SERS基底具有高灵敏度、 优异的信号均匀性和良好的稳定性. 使用Ag/Au NWs阵列对孔雀石绿(MG)检测的检出限可低至1×10^-8 mol/L, 线性范围为 1×10^-8~1×10^-4 mol/L. NaBH₄可以在不影响SERS性能的情况下去除Ag/Au NWs阵列上吸附的分子, 使得 SERS基底可以重复使用. 使用Ag/Au NWs阵列对湖水中的MG进行检测, 得到了可靠的回收率, 证明Ag/Au NWs 阵列在检测环境水体中的孔雀石绿上具有应用潜力.     

Direct evidence of chemical effect of surface-enhanced Raman scattering observed on electrochemically prepared rough gold substrates

In this study, polypyrrole (PPy) films were electrochemically deposited on gold substrates roughened by an electrochemical triangular-wave oxidation-reduction cycles (ORC) in an aqueous solution containing 0.1N KCl. Then the substrates were heated from 25 to 50 °C and the corresponding SERS performances of PPy were observed in situ. The results indicate that the SERS enhancement capabilities of substrates are gradually raised from 25 °C to a maximum at 40 °C and monotonically decreased from 40 to 50 °C. These SERS enhancement capabilities ascribed to the charge transfers from PPy to Au, which are responsible for the chemical effects of SERS mechanisms, are successfully observed via SERS and high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) analyses. The variation in content of the oxidized PPy peak of the double peaks in the range of 1000-1150 cm⁻¹ in SERS spectrum obtained on an Au substrate at different temperatures is consistent with its corresponding variation in the SERS intensity of PPy. The variation in content of the oxidized nitrogen of PPy deposited on an Au substrate at different temperatures revealed from an HRXPS analysis also confirms this consistence.     

Highly reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active Au nanostructures prepared by simple electrodeposition: Origin of surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity and applications as electrochemical substrates

The fabrication of effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates has been the subject of intensive research because of their useful applications. In this paper, dendritic gold (Au) rod (DAR) structures prepared by simple one-step electrodeposition in a short time were examined as an effective SERS-active substrate. The SERS activity of the DAR surfaces was compared to that of other nanostructured Au surfaces with different morphologies, and its dependence on the structural variation of DAR structures was examined. These comparisonal investigations revealed that highly faceted sharp edge sites present on the DAR surfaces play a critical role in inducing a high SERS activity. The SERS enhancement factor was estimated to be greater than 10⁵, and the detection limit of rhodamine 6G at DAR surfaces was 10⁻⁸ M. The DAR surfaces exhibit excellent spot-to-spot and substrate-to-substrate SERS enhancement reproducibility, and their long-term stability is very good. It was also demonstrated that the DAR surfaces can be effectively utilized in electrochemical SERS systems, wherein a reversible SERS behavior was obtained during the cycling to cathodic potential regions. Considering the straightforward preparation of DAR substrates and the clean nature of SERS-active Au surfaces prepared in the absence of additives, we expect that DAR surfaces can be used as cost-effective SERS substrates in analytical and electrochemical applications.     

Focused-ion-beam-fabricated Au nanorods coupled with Ag nanoparticles used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active substrate for analyzing trace melamine constituents in solution

A well-ordered Au-nanorod array with a controlled tip ring diameter (Au_NRs_d) was fabricated using the focused ion beam method. Au_NRs_d was then coupled with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to bridge the gaps among Au nanorods. The effect of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on Au_NRs_d and Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d was particularly verified using crystal violet (CV) as the molecular probe. Raman intensity obtained from a characteristic peak of CV on Au_NRs_d was estimated by an enhancement factor of ≈10⁷ in magnitude, which increased ≈10¹² in magnitude for that on Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d. A highly SERS-active Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d was furthermore applied for the detection of melamine (MEL) at very low concentrations. Raman-active peaks of MEL (10⁻³ to 10⁻¹² M) in water or milk solution upon Au_NRs_d or Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d were well distinguished. The peaks at 680 and 702 cm⁻¹ for MEL molecules were found suitable to be used as the index for sensing low-concentration MEL in a varied solution, while that at 1051 cm⁻¹ was practical to interpret MEL molecules in water or milk solution bonded with Au (i.e., Au_NRs_d) or Ag (i.e., Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d) surface. At the interface of Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d and MEL molecules in milk solution, a laser-induced electromagnetic field or hotspot effect was produced and competent to sense low-concentration MEL molecules interacting with Ag and Au surfaces. Accordingly, Ag NPs/Au_NRs_d is very promising to be used as a fast and sensitive tool for screening MEL in complex matrices such as adulteration in e.g., food and pharmaceutical products.     

Ag Nanoparticles Decorated CuO@RF Core-Shell Nanowires for High-Performance Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Application

Vertical-aligned CuO nanowires have been directly fabricated on Cu foil through a facile thermal oxidation process by a hotplate at 550 °C for 6 h under ambient conditions. The intermediate layer of resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles can be sequentially deposited on Cu nanowires to form CuO@RF@Ag core-shell nanowires by a two-step wet chemical approach. The appropriate resorcinol weight and silver nitrate concentration can be favorable to grow the CuO@RF@Ag nanowires with higher surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement for detecting rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules. Compared with CuO@Ag nanowires grown by ion sputtering, CuO@RF@Ag nanowires exhibited a higher SERS enhancement factor of 5.33 × 10⁸ and a lower detection limit (10⁻¹² M) for detecting R6G molecules. This result is ascribed to the CuO@RF@Ag nanowires with higher-density hot spots and surface-active sites for enhanced high SERS enhancement, good reproducibility, and uniformity. Furthermore, the CuO@RF@Ag nanowires can also reveal a high-sensitivity SERS-active substrate for detecting amoxicillin (10⁻¹⁰ M) and 5-fluorouracil (10⁻⁷ M). CuO@RF@Ag nanowires exhibit a simple fabrication process, high SERS sensitivity, high reproducibility, high uniformity, and low detection limit, which are helpful for the practical application of SERS in different fields.     

Improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering on micro-scale Au hollow spheres: synthesis and application in detecting tetracycline

Au nanoparticles (NPs) forming a Au shell are coated on the surfaces of Ni microparticles (MPs) through a simple redox-transmetalation reaction, forming Ni/Au core-shell MPs. Then Au hollow spheres (HSs) are prepared by etching the Ni core in 1 mol L(-1) HCl solution. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy signals of typical analytes such as rhodamine 6G (R6G) are observed on micro-scale Au HSs, even though the concentration of the analyte is as low as 10(-15) mol L(-1) (R6G). The Au HSs are also applied to detect tetracycline (TC), and a strong SERS signal is observed with the TC concentration of 0.1 μg L(-1). The quantitative analysis can be performed at 1595 and 1320 cm(-1), and a good linear response is also obtained. This work provides a potential and unique technique to detect broad-spectrum polyketide antibiotics in the future, and the detection of TC in foods and milk can also be performed using this SERS-based Au HSs substrate, which will benefit human health.     

Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜的制备及SERS活性研究

合成了金属有机框架化合物沸石咪唑框架-90(ZIF-90)溶胶和ZIF-90晶体薄膜,分别以这2种材料为基底,制备出了Ag@ZIF-90复合材料和Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜。通过傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR),X射线衍射(XRD),扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对产物进行表征,分析了它们的形貌和结构特征。以罗丹明6G(R 6G)作为检测分子,对所制备材料的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)性能进行测试。结果表明制备出的Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜具有好的SERS性能,而ZIF-90本身的拉曼峰并不会对Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜对目标分子的SERS检测效果产生影响。这种材料可以作为一种良好的SERS检测基底,在农药残留检测方面具有很好的应用前景。     

Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜的制备及SERS活性研究

合成了金属有机框架化合物沸石咪唑框架-90(ZIF-90)溶胶和ZIF-90晶体薄膜,分别以这2种材料为基底,制备出了Ag@ZIF-90复合材料和Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜.通过傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR),X射线衍射(XRD),扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对产物进行表征,分析了它们的形貌和结构特征.以罗丹明6G(R 6G)作为检测分子,对所制备材料的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)性能进行测试.结果表明制备出的Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜具有好的SERS性能,而ZIF-90本身的拉曼峰并不会对Ag/ZIF-90自组装薄膜的SERS检测效果产生影响.这种材料可以作为一种较好的表面增强拉曼(SERS)活性基底,在农药残留检测方面具有很好的应用前景.