Magnetic properties of Ni/Au core/shell studied by Monte Carlo simulations

The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic Ni/Au core/shell have been studied using Monte Carlo simulations within the Ising model framework. The considered Hamiltonian includes the exchange interactions between Ni–Ni, Au–Au and Ni–Au and the external magnetic field. The thermal total magnetizations and total magnetic susceptibilities of core/shell Ni/Au are computed. The critical temperature is deduced. The exchange interaction between Ni and Au atoms is obtained. In addition, the total magnetizations versus the external magnetic field and crystal filed for different temperature are also established.     

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF ANISOTROPY IN Co/X(Pt, Au, Ag, Ni) MULTILAYER FILMS

Temperature dependences of effective perpendicular anisotropy (PA) K_u and inter-face energy K_s for Co/X(Pt, Au, Ag, Ni) multilayer films(MFs) as well as of spontaneous magnetization M_s for Co/Pt and Co/Au MFs are reported. The dependence of K_s on T dis-tinguishes between Go/Au, Co/Ni and Co/Pt, Co/Ag MFs, i.e., K_s of the former decreases with the increase of T, but it increases for the latter. Co/Pt MFs with the perpendicular anisotropy possess a large enhancement of M_s at low temperature, but there is not any en-hancement for Co/Au MFs. We have discussed the source of PA in Co/Au and Co/Pt MFs and speculated that the strain due to the lattice mismatch may be the main cause of PA in Co/Au MFs, but it is not for Co/Pt MFs.     

不同粒径、超均匀球形金纳米粒子合成及其表面增强拉曼散射效应研究

以氯金酸为原料,抗坏血酸为还原剂,柠檬酸钠为保护剂,用化学还原(种子生长)法制备了不同粒径、超均匀的球形金纳米粒子溶胶,并通过紫外可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)进行表征。结果表明,随着金纳米粒子粒径的增大,其UV-Vis光谱中的吸收峰发生红移并出现四极峰。为进一步研究金纳米粒子表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)效应的作用机理并优化其灵敏度,我们以罗丹明6G(R6G)为探针分子,对不同粒径的金纳米粒子进行SERS表征,发现R6G的SERS信号随着金纳米粒子的增大先增强后减弱。当金纳米粒子的平均粒径达到120 nm时,产生最强SERS信号增强,增强因子约为1.1×107。三维时域有限差分法(3D-FDTD)理论模拟纳米粒子阵列电磁场分布结果与实验数据的趋势一致。     

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.     

Fabrication of NIR‐Excitable SERS‐Active Composite Particles Composed of Densely Packed Au Nanoparticles on Polymer Microparticles

A simple fabrication method is demonstrated for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐active plasmonic nanoballs, which consisted of Au nanoparticles (NPs) and core–shell polystyrene and amino‐terminated poly(butadiene) particles, by heterocoagulation and Au NP diffusion. The amount of Au NPs introduced into the core–shell particles increases with the concentration of Au NPs added to the aqueous dispersion of the core–shell particles. When the amount of Au NPs increases, closely packed, three‐dimensionally arranged and close‐packed Au NPs arrays are formed in the shells. Strong SERS signals from para‐mercaptophenol adsorbed onto composite particles with multilayered Au NPs arrays are obtained by near‐infrared (NIR) light illumination.     

On‐line surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic detection in a recyclable Au@SiO2 modified glass capillary

A facile method was developed to fabricate a high sensitive, reproducible and recyclable surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) active glass capillary. The Au nanoparticles were synthesized through a seed‐mediated growth approach and then self‐assembled onto the inner wall of glass capillaries. The attached Au nanoparticles were homogeneously coated with thin silica shell by using the silane coupling agent to functionalize the Au surface. By using thiophenol (TP) as SERS probe molecules, the substrate exhibited robust SERS effects. The adsorbed SERS probe molecules could be rapidly and completely removed away by flowing sodium borohydride solution and thus to obtain a refresh Au@SiO₂ film‐coated substrate for the cyclic detection on different species. The on‐line detection of TP and malachite green (MG) with different concentrations was performed in the flowing system. The intensities of SERS signals were dependent on concentrations of the detected molecules. The results indicated that the SERS‐active substrate has potential applications on the on‐line qualitative and quasi‐quantitative analysis. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fe2O3/Au/Ag磁性核壳纳米粒子的制备及其SERS研究

本文介绍了一种制备多功能磁性Fe2O3/Au/Ag纳米粒子的简捷方法, 制备的粒子直径大约在100 nm左右, 采用UV-vis和SEM对该结构进行了表征。并通过调节硝酸银的用量, 制备了一系列具有不同壳层厚度和表面结构的多重核壳纳米粒子。以苯硫酚(TP)为探针分子, 研究了不同银壳厚度的磁性纳米粒子的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)活性。结果表明随Ag:Au比例的不断增加, 其SERS活性呈现先增大后减小的趋势, 这与表面结构的改变有关。     

应用球形和海胆状金混合SERS基底检测高环多环芳烃

合成了海胆状金银复合纳米材料,并与球形金纳米材料混合作为表面增强拉曼活性基底实现了对水中高环多环芳烃的痕量检测。对海胆状材料进行表征,粒径大小约为300～400 nm,表面有40～100 nm明显的刺状凸起。与球形金溶胶混合后并优化pH值及混合比例等参数,产生了优于球形金溶胶2～3倍的增强效果。利用此增强基底检测了危害严重的高环多环芳烃污染物——芘(四环)、苯并蒽(四环)、苯并芘(五环),得到的光谱数据反映出混合SERS基底有良好的重复性和稳定性,对测得光谱进行特征峰归属分析,固体拉曼光谱与水溶液SERS光谱有确定的对应关系,并且在低浓度范围多环芳烃特征峰峰强与其水溶液浓度有良好的线性关系。经计算,芘(四环)、苯并蒽(四环)、苯并芘(五环)的检测限分别为0.44,2.92和1.64 nmol·L-1。该研究的创新点为合成了海胆金纳米颗粒,与球形金溶胶混合后制成新型高效SERS检测基底;选用自制高效SERS基底,实现了高环PAHs痕量检测。结果表明,利用该方法制备的活性基底,可实现对水中高环多环芳烃的痕量检测,为检测水中高环多环芳烃提供了实验室依据。     

SERS detection of proteins on micropatterned protein‐mediated sandwich substrates

One of the greatest challenges in developing protein chips is the detection of trace amounts of proteins on their surfaces. Traditionally employed techniques, such as optical microscopy and fluorescence, are effective and widely used, but it is sometimes hard to obtain fingerprint signals of biomolecules. In this paper, we use surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy as a platform for protein detection. Micropatterned protein‐mediated Au/Ag sandwich structures were employed as the detecting objects. Two types of proteins, pure hemoprotein and immunocomplex, were used as the media. Au/Ag layers were used as the SERS substrates. The resulting spectra showed good sensitivity and resolution. It indicates that SERS is a powerful tool in protein detection and has great potential for application in protein chips. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanowire manipulation on surfaces through electrostatic self‐assembly and magnetic interactions

A method for fabricating aligned nanowire arrays on surfaces is shown. Gold and segmented Au/Ni/Au nanowires of high aspect ratio have been prepared by template electrosynthesis, and functionalized with charged short alkanethiols that can be ionized in aqueous solutions. Different distributions of funtionalized nanowires could be obtained on large surfaces from nanowire aqueous suspensions, avoiding aggregation due to electrical repulsion. Due to the high magnetic anisotropy of segmented Au/Ni/Au nanowires chaining of aligned nanowires could be obtained by applying a low magnetic field. While electrostatics favours side wire interactions due to the high aspect ratio, concurrent electrostatics and applied magnetic field yields end‐to‐end interaction and linear alignment without bifunctionalization. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

表面增强拉曼散射光谱对人体尿液成份的初步研究

作为人体体液之一的尿液中含有多种人体新陈代谢的产物以及体内排出的毒素,如果能够对这些组分进行定性分析,就能够在一定程度上有效反映人体器官的健康状况,这是临床医学中重要的研究途径。该实验分别以785和1 030 nm激光作为源激发,以具有电磁场增强的金纳米粒子作为基底,利用表面增强拉曼散射光谱(SERS)对临床实验研究中所用的人体新鲜尿液的成份进行快速、无损分析。通过控制金纳米溶胶与尿液原液的混合比例从而来制备一系列具有不同配比的实验样品,并且通过实验我们获得其相应的SERS光谱。由实验结果分析可知,我们能够有效地得到尿液中尿酸、次黄嘌呤等多种成份的SERS光谱。与此同时,我们还研究了在不同波长激光条件下的尿液的SERS光谱。相较于1 030 nm的激光,785 nm的激光得到的SERS光谱具有较高的分辨率以及较低的背景值。与此同时,利用具有1 030 nm激光的便携式拉曼仪对实验样品进行快速、无损分析,有望为临床医学现场、快速分析诊断提供帮助和支持。而且相信,SERS能够在人类健康甚至生物组织的检测等方面提供更加详细的信息。     

Enhancement in SERS intensity with hierarchical nanostructures by bimetallic deposition approach

We investigate the plasmonic enhancement arising from bimetallic (Au/Ag) hierarchical structure and address the fundamental issues relating to the design of multilayered nanostructures for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. SERS‐active nanosphere arrays with Ag underlayer and Au overlayer were systematically constructed, with the thickness of each layer altered from 40 to 320 nm. The SERS responses of the resultant bimetallic structures were measured with 2‐naphthalenethiol dye as the test sample. The results confirm the dependency of SERS enhancement on the thickness ratio (Au : Ag). Compared with Au‐arrays, our optimized bimetallic structures, which exhibit nanoprotrusions on the nanospheres, were found to be 2.5 times more SERS enhancing, approaching the enhancement factor of an Ag‐array. The elevated SERS is attributed to the formation of effective hot‐spots associated with increased roughness of the outer Au film, resulting from subsequent sputtering of Au granules on a roughened Ag surface. The morphology and reflectance studies suggest that the SERS hot‐spots are distributed at the junctions of interconnected nanospheres and over the nanosphere surface, depending on the thickness ratio between the Au and Ag layers. We show that, by varying the thickness ratio, it is possible to optimize the SERS enhancement factor without significantly altering the operating plasmon resonance wavelength, which is dictated solely by the size of the underlying nanospheres template. In addition, our bimetallic substrates show long‐term stability compared with previously reported Ag‐arrays, whose SERS efficiency drops by 60% within a week because of oxidation. These findings demonstrate the potential of using such a bimetallic configuration to morphologically optimize any SERS substrate for sensing applications that demand huge SERS enhancement and adequate chemical stability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiscale electromagnetic SERS enhancement on self‐assembled micropatterned gold nanoparticle films

In this work, we demonstrate a cascaded, multiplicative electromagnetic enhancement effect in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on periodically micropatterned films made of colloidal gold nanoparticles, prepared by a self‐assembly approach, without implying lithography procedures. The multiplicative enhancement effect is obtained by combining surface plasmon near‐field enhancement due to nanoscale features with far‐field photonic coupling by periodic microscale features. The effect is observed for both internal Raman reporters (molecules attached to the Au colloids before their assembly) and external Raman probes (molecules adsorbed on the samples after film assembly). The ability of the patterned films for far‐field light coupling is supported by reflectivity spectra, which present minima/maxima in the visible spectral range. Finite‐difference time‐domain computer simulations of the electric field distribution also support this interpretation. The fabricated dual‐scale SERS substrates exhibit a good spot‐to‐spot reproducibility and time stability, as proved by the SERS response over a time scale longer than 1 month. The experimental demonstration of this cascaded electromagnetic enhancement effect contributes to a better understanding of SERS and can affect future design of SERS substrates. Moreover, such dual‐scale colloidal films prepared by convective self‐assembly can be of general interest for the broader field of nanoparticle‐based devices. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Charge‐dependent adsorption of rhodamine 6G on gold nanoparticle surfaces: fluorescence and Raman study

We study the adsorption behaviors of rhodamine dyes on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) depending on their surface charges. Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) dye is tested comparatively for positively and negatively charged Au NPs prepared by the reduction of chitosan and citric acid, respectively. The adsorption of Rh6G is found to be weaker on the positively charged Au NPs, whereas more substantial aggregation is found on negatively charged Au NPs. An increase in the concentration of Au NPs enhances the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensities only for the Au(−) NPs, whereas the Au(+) NPs do not exhibit any strong SERS signals. Our findings suggest that SERS and reciprocal fluorescence measurements of Rh6G can be used to estimate the surface charges and atomic percentages of Au NPs less than ∼5 ppm. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High–Yield Production of Uniform Gold Nanoparticles with Sizes from 31 to 577 nm via One‐Pot Seeded Growth and Size‐Dependent SERS Property

In this work, uniform, quasi‐spherical gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with sizes of 31–577 nm are prepared via one‐pot seeded growth with the aid of tris‐base (TB). Distinct from the seeded growth methods available in literature, the present method can be simply implemented by subsequently adding the aqueous dispersion of the 17 nm Au‐NP seeds and the aqueous solution of HAuCl₄ into the boiling aqueous TB solution. It is found that at the optimal pH range, the sizes of the final Au NPs and their concentrations are simply controlled by either the particle number of the Au seed dispersion or the concentration of the HAuCl₄ solution, while the latter enables us to produce large Au NPs at very high concentration. Moreover, as‐prepared Au NPs of various sizes are coated on glass substrates to test their surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities by using 4‐aminothiophenol (4‐ATP) molecules as probes, which exhibit “volcano type” dependence on the Au NP sizes at fixed excitation wavelength. Furthermore, the Au NPs with sizes of ≈97 and 408 nm exhibit the largest SERS enhancement at the excitation wavelength of 633 and 785 nm, respectively.     

Regular Hexagonal Gold Nanoprisms Fabricated by a Physical Method: Toward Use as Ultrasensitive Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates

A simple physical approach to prepare gold (Au) nanoparticles with sharp edges for increasing surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response is presented. The shape evolution process of Au nanoparticles under different fabrication conditions is studied, and a thermodynamic model is adopted to explain the shape transition. Single‐crystalline Au nanoprisms with regular hexagonal shape can be formed at a certain annealing temperature. Coating of these Au nanoprisms with graphene causes them to exhibit a SERS enhancement of 60x. This is the first demonstration of a physical approach to fabricate regular hexagonal Au nanoprisms that exhibit an ultrasensitive SERS effect. Furthermore, the local field distribution of a series of Au nanoprisms with different sizes is simulated to better understand their ultrasensitive SERS performance.     

SERS activity of Au nanoparticles coated on an array of carbon nanotube nested into silicon nanoporous pillar

A novel composite structure, Au nanoparticles coated on a nest-shaped array of carbon nanotube nested into a silicon nanoporous pillar array (Au/NACNT/Si-NPA), was fabricated for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The morphology of the Au/NACNT/Si-NPA composite structure was characterized with the aid of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction instrumentation and Transmission electron microscopy. Compared with SERS of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on SERS-active Au substrate reported, the SERS signals of R6G adsorbed on these gold nanoparticles were obviously improved. This was attributed to the enlarged specific surface area for adsorption of target molecules brought by the nest-shaped CNTs structure.     

膜结构对金纳米线阵列表面增强拉曼散射的影响

金纳米线阵列作为表面增强拉曼散射的基底能够产生有效的增强效应,金纳米线阵列通过金线之间的电场耦合产生增强的拉曼信号。在实验中,制备出金纳米线阵列与金纳米刷,两种样品结构不同,金纳米刷的一面带有金膜。用巯基吡啶作为探针分子,金纳米刷的SERS实验显示出很好的增强效应,增强因子为106,不同位点的SERS谱具有区域不均一的特征。而相同实验条件下的金纳米线阵列的增强因子只有102。光学吸收谱表明这两种结构均发生了共振吸收增强电场,对其结构的分析表明,这两种结构具有不同的电场局域化分布,同时金纳米刷中金线上端强烈的电场耦合,这是其具有更好的增强效用的原因。同时,4-MP的表面增强拉曼谱的变化特征体现了化学增强效应的影响。     

Improving SERS uniformity by isolating hot spots in gold rod-in-shell nanoparticles

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags show ultrasensitivity and multiplexing abilities due to strong and characteristic Raman signals and therefore can be utilized as optical labeling agents similar to fluorescent dyes and quantum dots for biosensing and bioimaging. However, SERS tags have the difficulty to realize quantitative analysis due to the uniformity and reproducibility issue. In this work, we have reported on a new type of SERS tag called Au rod-in-shell (RIS) gap-enhanced Raman tag (GERT). With the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and optical absorbance measurements, we have demonstrated the subnanometer sized gap junctions inside the RIS GERTs. SERS measurements and FDTD calculations show that the core–shell subnanometer gap geometry in the RIS GERTs not only generates strong SERS hot spots but also isolates SERS hot spots by Au shells to avoid the influence when the particle aggregates form, therefore showing better SERS uniformity and stronger SERS intensity than normal Au nanorods. Those RIS NPs exhibit great potential as the labeling agents for SERS-based bioimaging and biosensing applications.     

Biocompatible gold/silver nanostars for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

Raman‐enhancing properties of chitosan (CS)‐coated gold/silver nanostars (Au/AgNSs) were demonstrated by using them as a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probe. Based on the energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy element distribution maps and highly enhanced SERS spectra, we suggest that the incorporation of silver into the NS tips leads to a stronger SERS behavior. The SERS spectra of the proteins adsorbed on the NS surface greatly differ from their respective Raman spectra in both the band positions and relative intensities, indicating that the protein molecules penetrate through the CS coating layer and interact closely with the NS surface. Raman and SERS spectra of Chlamydia trachomatis protease/proteasomelike activity factor are reported for the first time, demonstrating the potential of these NSs for the development of a diagnosis method for Chlamydia based on SERS. The results showed a good SERS performance of the Au/AgNSs and their potential for SERS detection of biomolecules. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.