Experimental determination of the absolute cross-section of giant Raman light scattering by metal-metal adatom complexes at silver electrode

Changes in the background intensities in giant Raman scattering spectra for silver surface in silver sulfate solutions, appeared at the varying of the silver galvanostatic deposition current near the silver electrode equilibrium potential, are measured. The connection between the silver adatom concentration and the intensity of the giant Raman scattering background allowed determining the absolute cross-section for the giant Raman scattering involving adatom-metal complexes: 1.02 × 10⁻²⁷ cm²/adatom in sulfate solutions.     

Electrochemical determination of the absolute cross-section of giant Raman light scattering by silver-silver adatom complexes

The procedure of the determining of changes in the background intensity in the giant Raman light scattering spectra at silver surface in solutions of silver salts, under the action of current changes during galvanostatic silver electrodeposition near the silver electrode equilibrium potential, suggested by authors, is substantiated. Expressions for the calculations of the quantitative values of the absolute background cross-section of the giant Raman light scattering, which is caused by the interaction of the metal electron plasma with silver adatoms, are derived. The relationship between the silver adatom concentration and the back-ground intensity in the giant Raman light scattering spectra allows estimating the absolute cross-section of the background of the giant Raman scattering for the metal-adatom complexes (1.02 × 10⁻²⁷ cm²/adatom) from preliminary experiments in sulfate solutions.     

Surface enhanced Raman scattering at Ag electrodes in non-aqueous pyridine solutions

The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of interfacial pyridine and Br⁻ species at Ag electrodes from neat pyridine solutions containing tetra-n-butylammonium bromide is presented. The potential dependence of the SERS peak frequencies, bandwidths, and relative intensities is reported and interpreted in terms of pyridine reorientation in the double layer. A band at 221 cm⁻¹ is observed at certain potentials and is assigned to the AgN stretch for Ag surface pyridine species.     

Dynamic light scattering from micelle complexes of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-sodium salicylate in aqueous solutions

The diffusion coefficient of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-sodium salicylate in aqueous solutions has been determined, using the dynamic light-scattering technique, as a function of sodium salicylate concentration, as well as of temperature. Using a gel model the results are discussed in terms of intermicellar pseudo-linkages, entanglements of threadlike micelles, and formation of pseudo-network.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies on aggregated silver nanoplates in aqueous solution

Four different sizes of citrate-protected silver nanoplates with the corresponding in-plane dipole resonance band at 530, 619, 778, and 858 nm, respectively, are synthesized for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) study. Their aggregation behaviors are monitored by use of UV-vis spectroscopy. During the aggregation process, a marked red shift of the in-plane dipole resonance of silver nanoplates is observed, whereas other resonance modes of them only have small alterations in the site or intensity. Aggregated silver nanoplates can serve as active SERS substrates with an enhancement factor of about 4.5 x 10(5) using 2-aminothiophenol as a probing molecule. The SERS performance of silver nanoplates is even superior to the commonly used Lee-Meisel silver colloid, making them very attractive for SERS applications.     

Study of aqueous solutions of fullerenol-d by the dynamic light scattering method

Dynamic light scattering method was used to determine the average size of fullerenol-d associates and the dependence of the electrokinetic ζ-potential on the concentration of aqueous solutions of fullerenol-d.     

Cathodic electrochemiluminescence in aqueous solutions at bismuth electrodes

The high hydrogen evolution overpotential of a bismuth electrode makes it a powerful electrode for cathodic electrochemiluminescence studies in aqueous solutions.     

Formation of long-lived clusters and silver nucleation in the γ-irradiation of aqueous silver perchlorate solutions containing polyphosphate

It was found that long-lived positively charged and neutral silver clusters were formed by the radiation-chemical reduction of Ag⁺ ions in aqueous solutions containing sodium polyphosphate. The nuclearity of the clusters increased with absorbed dose; then, quasi-metal particles were formed. The process culminated in the formation of silver nanoparticles.Translated from Khimiya Vysokikh Energii, Vol. 39, No. 2, 2005, pp. 83–87.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Ershov, Abkhalimov, Sukhov.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Vibrational spectroscopy of aqueous solutions at high concentrations: Raman and inelastic neutron scattering

We review work performed by our group on vibrational spectroscopy of water and aqueous solutions of strong II-I electrolytes at high concentrations. Evidence shall be presented for the existence of intermediate range, solute-connected, ordered patches, whose collective vibrational modes yield a continuous vibrational density of states, as in amorphous solids. We shall review Raman and inelastic neutron scattering results, obtained for electrolytes such as ZnCl₂, NiCl₂, CuBr₂, CdCl₂. Other results, such as EXAFS, viscosity and ultrasonic attenuation will also be discussed.     

X-ray Raman scattering provides evidence for interfacial acetonitrile-water dipole interactions in aqueous solutions

Aqueous solutions of acetonitrile (MeCN) have been studied with oxygen K-edge x-ray Raman scattering (XRS) which is found to be sensitive to the interaction between water and MeCN. The changes in the XRS spectra can be attributed to water directly interacting with MeCN and are reproduced by density functional theory calculations on small clusters of water and MeCN. The dominant structural arrangement features dipole interaction instead of H-bonds between the two species as revealed by the XRS spectra combined with spectrum calculations. Small-angle x-ray scattering shows the largest heterogeneity for a MeCN to water ratio of 0.4 in agreement with earlier small-angle neutron scattering data.     

Features of light scattering in aqueous solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide

The water-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) system was studied by means of static light scattering in the concentration range of 0 to 60 mol % DMSO at 20 and 50°C. In the concentration range of 10 mol % DMSO, an abnormal maximum of scattered light was detected, the intensity of which decreases with an increase of temperature. The formation of this maximum is related to hydrophobic effects in the system under study and the existence of an unattainable critical point of delayering. Temperature inversion of light scattering intensity was detected at ∼14 mol % DMSO; at higher concentrations of DMSO, the intensity at 50°C is notably higher than at 20°C (due to the increase in the concentration’s degree of fluctuation upon an increase in temperature); at 60 mol % DMSO, intensities of scattered light at 20 and 50°C almost coincide. The apparent molar volumes of DMSO in solutions were calculated from the published data on density in the temperature range of 5 to 50°C. The minima of these values from 10 to 15 mol % DMSO (i.e., in the range of the abnormal maximum of scattered light) were obtained. The manifestation of hydrophobic effects in aqueous solutions of amphiphilic molecules is explained using the example of the DMSO-H₂O system.     

The structure around the perchlorate ion in concentrated aqueous solutions

A neutron diffraction study has been carried out on a 3.25 modal solution of NaClO₄ in heavy water, in which the first-order difference method of isotopic substitution was applied to chlorine atoms of the ClO₄⁻ ion. The results show that (a) the intramolecular separation of Cl-O is 1.43 ± 0.02 Å in good agreement with X-ray diffraction results from single-crystal studies. (b) there are between four and five nearest-neighbour deuterium atoms in the range 2.4 ⩽ r ⩽ 3.2 Å. and (c) the ClO₄⁻-water coordination is less well defined than that for Cl⁻-water, but similar to that for the NO₃⁻-water structure.     

A close look at silver oxide colloid for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

A silver oxide hydrosol has been prepared by reacting silver nitrate with sodium hydroxide in an aqueous solution. The colloidal particle composition and particle size have been characterized by X-ray diffractometry and transmittance electron microscopy. We have demonstrated that the sol is surface-enhanced Raman scattering active. One major advantage of this sol is the absence of the spectral interference arising from reaction products of the sol formation process. The mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity is essentially contributed by the silver particles generated from the photochemical process during the laser excitation.     

Characterization of riboflavin-photosensitized changes in aqueous solutions of alginate by dynamic light scattering

The effect of irradiation, in the wavelength range of 310-800 nm, on aqueous solutions (pH = 7.4) of alginate in the presence of the photosensitizer riboflavin (RF) has been investigated with the aid of dynamic light scattering (DLS). Under aerobic conditions light irradiation of RF causes scission of the polymer chains which affects the polymer dynamics. The time correlation data obtained from DLS experiments showed at all conditions the existence of two relaxation modes: one single exponential at short times, followed by a stretched exponential at longer times. The slow relaxation time revealed, over the whole considered concentration range, lower values for the alginate/RF system, whereas no effect of photochemical degradation was observed for the fast relaxation time in the semidilute regime. The results suggest that the photochemically induced fragmentation of alginate affects the slow relaxation mode, associated with disengagement relaxation of individual chains or cluster relaxation, in a similar way as the zero-shear viscosity. These findings provide detailed insight into the dynamics of the polymer matrix, and this knowledge can be useful in the context of controlled-release delivery of drugs. The chemical units of alginate (M = mannuronic acid and G = guluronic acid).     

The monothiocyanate complexes of chromium ion(III) on the silver electrode by the surface enhanced Raman scattering

Two adsorbate forms of the monothiocyanate complex of chromium ion on the silver electrode are identified in the surface enhanced Raman scattering. The spectroscopic, especially the electronic, properties of these two forms under different applied voltages on the electrode and under both 632.8 and 514.5 nm excitations are studied by the bond force constants (bond orders) and the bond polarizability derivatives which are retrieved from the Raman intensities by an algorithm developed by Wu and co-workers. The work shows the potential of this approach to the surface enhanced Raman scattering and other fields like resonance Raman that involve vibronic coupling.     

Polyethylenimine complexes with silver ions in aqueous solutions as precursors for synthesis of monodisperse silver iodide particles

The conditions of formation and composition of polyethylenimine complexes with silver ions in aqueous solutions are found. The complex is formed according to the model of a uniform distribution of ions throughout the macromolecule, and the composition of the complex may vary depending on pH of the medium. The size parameters are determined and the volume fractions of polyethylenimine macromolecular coils in solution are calculated. The synthesis of silver iodide particles is carried out under conditions where the silver ions are bound in the complex with polyethylenimine macromolecules and are distributed homogeneously over the volume of solution. The use of the polyethyleneimine complex with silver ions as a precursor of silver iodide allows the preparation of particles 1.2 nm in diameter with a narrow size distribution.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of pyridine on platinum and nickel electrodes in nonaqueous solutions

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of pyridine adsorbed onto bare platinum and nickel electrodes in nonaqueous solutions are reported in this Letter. There are similarities and differences between the SERS from aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. The surface enhancement factor for platinum in acetonitrile solution has been calculated to decrease by a factor of ca. 10 compared with that in the aqueous media. The double-band character for the ring breathing mode is observed at 1009 and 1019 cm⁻¹. Two adsorption modes of pyridine on the platinum surface were assumed. Part of the pyridine molecules may be chemisorbed onto the surface, with the ring plane oriented vertical to the surface; other pyridine molecules may co-adsorb with lithium cations onto the surface.     

Analysis of the differential capacity at the silver / lithium perchlorate aqueous solution interface

Analysis of the differential capacity of ideally polarized Ag electrodes without specific adsorption is presented. The capacity was measured for three crystal faces of Ag [(111), (100) and (110)] and for polycrystalline Ag in aqueous solutions at different concentrations of LiClO₄. The inner layer contribution C _i was analysed for all the systems studied according to Grahame's concept. Moreover, using the procedure proposed by Amokrane and Badiali, several contributions to C _i, i.e. the metal (C _m), the solvent (C _s) and dipole orientation (C _dip), were calculated. The influence of the kind of crystal face of the Ag electrode on the values of these contributions is discussed. Received: 21 May 1999 / Accepted: 19 November 1999     

Vibrational dynamics of some anions in aqueous solutions from isotropic Raman scattering

From the I_VV and I_VH Raman spectra of a totally symmetric vibration, isotropic scattering profiles have been obtained for several anions in dilute aqueous solutions at various temperatures. The Raman spectrometer was connected to an A/D converter and a small computer, which allowed multiple scanning, data accumulation, and numerical processing of these profiles with good precision over a frequency range of about 20 times their full width at half peak height.The theoretical analysis of the isotropic Raman profiles was accomplished by assuming vibrational phase relaxation based on a MARKOV-GAUSS mechanism. Fitting procedures to the experimental data permitted the determination of the vibrational frequency distribution and its modulation time. Temperature effects are discussed in relation to the distribution and motional characteristics of the immediate environment of water molecules of the anions.     

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.