Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol sandwiched between Ag/Au nanoparticle and macroscopically smooth Au substrate

Raman scattering measurements were conducted for a 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) monolayer assembled on a macroscopically smooth Au substrate. Although no peak was detected at the beginning, Raman peaks were distinctly observed by attaching Ag or Au nanoparticles onto the 4-ABT monolayer (Ag(Au)@4-ABT/Au(flat)). Considering the fact that no Raman signal is observed when Ag (Au) nanoparticles are adsorbed on a (4-aminophenyl)silane monolayer assembled on a silicon wafer, the Raman spectrum observed for Ag(Au)@4-ABT/Au(flat) must be a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum, derived from the electromagnetic coupling of the localized surface plasmon of Ag (Au) nanoparticles with the surface plasmon polariton of the underneath Au metal. The electromagnetic coupling responsible for SERS appeared to be governed more by the bulk Au substrate than the sparsely distributed Ag or Au nanoparticles. The chemical enhancement appeared on the other hand to be derived more from the formation of Au-S bonds than any charge-transfer interaction between the protonated amine group and the Au or Ag nanoparticles. The enhancement factors derived from the attachment of a single Ag or Au nanoparticle onto 4-ABT on Au were estimated to be as large as 8.3 x 10(5) and 5.0 x 10(5), respectively, (for the ring 3 band (b(2)) near 1390 cm(-1)) in which a factor of approximately 10(2) was presumed to be due to the chemical effect, with the remaining contributed by the electromagnetic effect.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol on silver nanoparticles substrate

Active surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) silver nanoparticles substrate was prepared by multiple depositions of Ag nanoparticles on glass slides. The substrate is based on five depositions of Ag nanoparticles on 3-aminopropyl-trimetoxisilane (APTMS) modified glass slides, using APTMS sol–gel as linker molecules between silver layers. The SERS performance of the substrate was investigated using 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) as Raman probe molecule. The spectral analyses reveal a 4-ABT Raman signal enhancement of band intensities, which allow the detection of this compound in different solutions. The average SERS intensity decreases significantly in 4-ABT diluted solutions (from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹), but the compound may still be detected with high signal/noise ratio. The obtained results demonstrate that the Ag nanoparticles sensor has a great potential as SERS substrate.     

Effect of Ag and Au nanoparticles on the SERS of 4-aminobenzenethiol assembled on powdered copper

Raman scattering measurements were conducted for 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) assembled on powdered copper substrates. Initially, very weak Raman peaks were detected, but upon attaching Ag nanoparticles probably via NH2 groups onto 4-ABT/Cu, distinct Raman spectra were observed. Considering the fact that no Raman peak was identified when Ag nanoparticles were adsorbed on 4-aminophenyl-derivatized silane monolayers assembled on silica powders, the Raman spectra observed for Ag@4-ABT/Cu should be surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra, occurring by an electromagnetic coupling of the localized surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles with the surface plasmon polariton of Cu powders. The extra enhancement factor attainable by the attachment of a single Ag nanoparticle is estimated to be as large as 1.4 x 10(5) in the case when 632.8-nm radiation is used as the excitation source. When Au nanoparticles were attached onto 4-ABT/Cu, at least an order of magnitude weaker Raman spectra were obtained at all excitation wavelengths, however, indicating that the Au-to-Cu coupling should be far less effective than the Ag-to-Cu coupling for the induction of SERS.     

Selective detection of aqueous nitrite ions by surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol on Au

In this work, we have devised a selective nitrite-ion detection method based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) on Au. This is possible because, firstly, SERS is a very surface-sensitive technique with monolayer detection capability, and secondly, the amine group of 4-ABT reacts readily with nitrites in acidic media, forming a diazonium group, which can subsequently form an azo bond by reacting with a variety of benzene derivatives. From the peak intensity of the diazonium group, the presence of nitrite ions above 20 μM can be identified readily. From the peak intensity of the azo moiety alone, it is even possible to detect nitrite ions at concentrations as low as 5 μM, without interference from other anions. This work clearly illustrates the usefulness of SERS in environmental science research.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol in Ag sol: relative intensity of a1- and b2-type bands invariant against aggregation of Ag nanoparticles

4-Aminobenzenthiol (4-ABT) is an unusual molecule, showing variable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra depending upon measurement conditions. In an effort to reduce ambiguity and add clarity, we have thus conducted an ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) extinction measurement, along with Raman scattering measurement, after adding 4-ABT into aqueous Ag sol. Upon the addition of 4-ABT, the surface plasmon absorption band of Ag at 410 nm gradually diminished and, concomitantly, a weak and broad band developed at longer wavelengths, obviously because of the aggregation of Ag nanoparticles. At the same time, the Raman scattering peaks of 4-ABT varied in intensity as the Ag particles proceeded to form aggregates. A close examination revealed that the peak intensity of the ring 7a band of 4-ABT, a typical a(1) vibrational mode, could be correlated with the UV-vis extinction of the Ag sol measured at the excitation laser wavelength. In a separate Raman measurement conducted using sedimented Ag colloidal particles, 4-ABT was found not to be subjected to any surface-induced photoreaction, implying that all of the observable Raman peaks were, in fact, solely due to 4-ABT on Ag. The intensities of the b(2)-type bands, such as the ring 3, 9b, and 19b modes of 4-ABT, were then analyzed and found to be invariant with respect to the 7a band, irrespective of the extent of Ag aggregation as far as at a fixed excitation wavelength. The intensity ratio of the b(2)-type/7a bands would then reflect the extent of the chemical enhancement that was involved in the SERS of 4-ABT in aggregated Ag sol.     

Effect of volatile organic chemicals on surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol on Ag: comparison with the potential dependence

4-Aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) is an unusual molecule in the sense that several distinct peaks whose counterparts are rarely found in the normal Raman spectrum are observed in its surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra. Their origin has been argued over recently as due to either a metal-to-adsorbate charge transfer or the formation of a photoreaction product such as dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). In an electrochemical SERS measurement, the intensities of the new peaks depended strongly not only on the excitation wavelength but also on the electrode potential. Interestingly, we observed a similar spectral variation even under ambient conditions by exposure of 4-ABT on Ag to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) such as acetone and ammonia. Since acetone and ammonia barely react directly with 4-ABT, the effect of VOCs must be indirect, presumably associated with the movement of electrons between VOCs and the Ag substrate causing either an increase or a decrease in the surface potential of Ag. Based on the potential-dependent SERS data, the effect of acetone therefore appeared to correspond to an application of +0.15 V to the Ag substrate vs. a saturated Ag/AgCl electrode, while the effect of ammonia corresponded to the application of -0.45 V to Ag. We admit that much the same VOC effect could be observable if a photoproduct was formed immediately upon irradiation and the product was also subjected to a chemical enhancement mechanism. The Gaussian response of the peak intensities of the b(2)-type bands to applied potential, as well as to VOCs, dictated that the new peaks appearing in the SERS of 4-ABT have nothing to do with any electrochemical reaction. In addition, a separate preliminary work suggested that the b(2)-type bands are not at least due to a photoreaction product such as DMAB.     

Three-dimensional Pt-coated Au nanoparticle arrays: applications for electrocatalysis and surface-enhanced Raman scattering

This study demonstrates a novel approach to synthesis methods for core-shell nanoparticle assembly using nanoparticle trapping at an interface and subsequent transfer onto a substrate for electrochemical ultrathin layer coating. The transferred nanoparticle array can have a tunable surface area depending on the number of transferred layers. Subsequently coating the surface with Pt-group metals that behave as an ultrathin film provides electrocatalytic activities with respect to a variety of chemical reactions, depending on the properties of the selected coating materials. The transferred 3D Au nanoparticle arrays act as a high-surface-area platform for the diversity of overlayer materials. The resulting 3D core-shell nanoparticle films could be utilized as a highly active electrocatalysis and Raman scattering substrate. The approach provides a versatile and convenient synthesis route to new nanoporous material with tailorable pore structure and material properties through bottom-up assembly.     

Electromagnetic and chemical interaction between Ag nanoparticles and adsorbed rhodamine molecules in surface-enhanced Raman scattering

The critical importance of the junction between touching or closely adjacent Ag nanoparticles associated with single-molecule sensitivity (SMS) in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was confirmed via the following observations: (1) an additional peak is observed in elastic scattering only for the SERS-active state, which originated from absorption of adsorbates, (2) local- and far-field evaluation using a finite difference time domain method could reproduce this extra peak and anticipate the significantly enhanced field even inside the adsorbates sitting at the junction through an increased coupling of the localized surface plasmons, and (3) in addition to enhanced fluorescence of adsorbed dye, an inelastic scattering peak was observed and attributed to the metal surface electron. Concerning the chemical enhancement in SERS, Cl⁻ anions activate the Ag-Cl-R6G (rhodamine) samples by inducing intrinsic electronic interaction between Ag and R6G molecules. This electronic interaction is irreversibly quenched by the addition of thiosulfate anions which dissolve Ag⁺ cations while the electromagnetic (EM) effect remains intact.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4-aminobenzenethiol on gold: the concept of threshold energy in charge transfer enhancement

Some threshold energy is required for 4-aminobenzenethiol to occupy the gold surface sites capable of leading to the appearance of surface-enhanced Raman scattering peaks via a charge transfer resonance enhancement mechanism.     

有序Au/Ag纳米碗阵列的简易制备及其表面增强拉曼散射性能

通过湿法化学合成基于SiO₂胶体晶体的大面积有序Au/Ag纳米碗(Au/AgNB)阵列。首先,在玻璃基板上组装3D SiO₂胶体晶体作为模板。然后,以Au纳米颗粒(AuNP)为种子,通过原位生长法在SiO₂模板上沉积一层Au纳米壳(AuNS)。再通过HCHO还原Ag⁺成Ag⁰,进一步在AuNS表面沉积Ag纳米壳,形成Ag/Au双纳米壳(Ag/AuNS)阵列。最后通过丙烯酸酯改性双向取向聚丙烯(BOPP)膜方便地获得了单层有序反转Ag/AuNB阵列。这种有序Au/AgNB阵列具有更佳的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)活性,其SERS分析增强因子(AEF)可达2.23×10⁷。     

有序Au/Ag纳米碗阵列的简易制备及其表面增强拉曼散射性能

通过湿法化学合成基于SiO₂胶体晶体的大面积有序Au/Ag纳米碗(Au/AgNB)阵列。首先,在玻璃基板上以3D SiO₂胶体晶体作为模板。然后,在Au纳米颗粒(AuNP)种子的帮助下,通过原位生长方法在模板上沉积一层Au纳米壳(AuNS)。再通过HCHO还原Ag⁺使AuNS表面进一步沉积Ag纳米壳,形成Ag/Au双纳米壳(Ag/AuNS)阵列。通过丙烯酸酯改性双向取向聚丙烯(BOPP)方便地获得了单层有序反转Ag/AuNB阵列。这种有序Au/AgNB阵列具有更佳的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)活性,其SERS分析增强因子(AEF)可达2.23×10⁷。     

An ultrasensitive method: surface-enhanced Raman scattering of Ag nanoparticles from beta-silver vanadate and copper

Ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering signals of four typical analytes were observed on Ag nanoparticles from beta-silver vanadate and copper, even though the concentrations of these analytes were as low as 1 x 10(-16) M (Rhodamine 6G or crystal violet) and 1 x 10(-15) M (trinitrotoluene or bovine serum albumin).     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of blood plasma and serum using Ag and Au nanoparticles: a systematic study

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a good candidate for the development of fast and easy-to-use diagnostic tools, possibly used on biofluids in point-of-care or screening tests. In particular, label-free SERS spectra of blood serum and plasma, two biofluids widely used in diagnostics, could be used as a metabolic fingerprinting approach for biomarker discovery. This study aims at a systematic evaluation of SERS spectra of blood serum and plasma, using various Ag and Au aqueous colloids, as SERS substrates, in combination with three excitation lasers of different wavelengths, ranging from the visible to the near-infrared. The analysis of the SERS spectra collected from 20 healthy subjects under a variety of experimental conditions revealed that intense and repeatable spectra are quickly obtained only if proteins are filtered out from samples, and an excitation in the near-infrared is used in combination with Ag colloids. Moreover, common plasma anticoagulants such as EDTA and citrate are found to interfere with SERS spectra; accordingly, filtered serum or heparin plasma are the samples of choice, having identical SERS spectra. Most bands observed in SERS spectra of these biofluids are assigned to uric acid, a metabolite whose blood concentration depends on factors such as sex, age, therapeutic treatments, and various pathological conditions, suggesting that, even when the right experimental conditions are chosen, great care must be taken in designing studies with the purpose of developing diagnostic tests.     

Extraordinary enhancement of Raman scattering from pyridine on single crystal Au and Pt electrodes by shell-isolated Au nanoparticles

We used shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) to systematically study the adsorption of pyridine on low-index Au(hkl) and Pt(hkl) single crystal electrodes. Our gold-core silica-shell nanoparticles (Au@SiO(2) NPs) boost the intensity of Raman scattering from molecules adsorbed on atomically flat surfaces. The average enhancement factor reaches 10(6) for Au(110) and 10(5) for Pt(110), which is comparable to or even greater than that obtained for bare gold NPs (a widely adopted SERS substrate). 3D-FDTD simulations reveal that this large enhancement is due to the transfer of the "hotspots" from NP-NP gaps to NP-surface gaps. We also found that the SHINERS intensity strongly depends on the surface crystallographic orientation, with differences up to a factor of 30. Periodic DFT calculations and theoretical analysis of dielectric functions indicate that this facet-dependence is predominantly governed by the dielectric property of the surface. The results presented in this work may open up new approaches for the characterization of adsorbates and reaction pathways on a wide range of smooth surfaces.     

Adsorption of organic acids on TiO2 nanoparticles: effects of pH, nanoparticle size, and nanoparticle aggregation

In this study, the adsorption of two organic acids, oxalic acid and adipic acid, on TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated at room temperature, 298 K. Solution-phase measurements were used to quantify the extent and reversibility of oxalic acid and adipic acid adsorption on anatase nanoparticles with primary particle sizes of 5 and 32 nm. At all pH values considered, there were minimal differences in measured Langmuir adsorption constants, K ads, or surface-area-normalized maximum adsorbate-surface coverages, Gamma max, between 5 and 32 nm particles. Although macroscopic differences in the reactivity of these organic acids as a function of nanoparticle size were not observed, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy showed some distinct differences in the absorption bands present for oxalic acid adsorbed on 5 nm particles compared to 32 nm particles, suggesting different adsorption sites or a different distribution of adsorption sites for oxalic acid on the 5 nm particles. These results illustrate that molecular-level differences in nanoparticle reactivity can still exist even when macroscopic differences are not observed from solution phase measurements. Our results also allowed the impact of nanoparticle aggregation on acid uptake to be assessed. It is clear that particle aggregation occurs at all pH values and that organic acids can destabilize nanoparticle suspensions. Furthermore, 5 nm particles can form larger aggregates compared to 32 nm particles under the same conditions of pH and solid concentrations. The relative reactivity of 5 and 32 nm particles as determined from Langmuir adsorption parameters did not appear to vary greatly despite differences that occur in nanoparticle aggregation for these two different size nanoparticles. Although this potentially suggests that aggregation does not impact organic acid uptake on anatase particles, these data clearly show that challenges remain in assessing the available surface area for adsorption in nanoparticle aqueous suspensions because of aggregation.     

Electrocatalytic properties of Au@Pt nanoparticles: effects of Pt shell packing density and Au core size

A detailed study of electrocatalytic properties of Au@Pt nanoparticles (NPs) as functions of Pt shell packing density and Au core size in terms of CO/methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions is reported here. While most samples studied showed inferior catalytic activities to those of the commercial Pt black that fall reasonably well in a d-band-center up-shift (i.e., stronger surface bonding) regime, the steepest activity recovery trend as manifested by the smallest Au-core samples suggests a plausible transition to a d-band-center down-shift (i.e., weaker surface bonding) regime as the Au core becomes smaller.     

Labeled gold nanoparticles immobilized at smooth metallic substrates: systematic investigation of surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering

This paper experimentally and theoretically investigates the influence of an underlying metallic substrate (i.e., gold and silver) on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of labeled gold nanoparticles and the concomitant impact on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal from the labels. These experiments employ nanoparticles of varied sizes (30-100 nm) that are coated with a bifunctional Raman scatterer composed of (1) a disulfide for chemisorption to the nanoparticle surface, (2) a succinimidyl ester for formation of a covalent linkage to an amine-terminated self-assembled monolayer on the underlying substrate, and (3) an aryl nitro group with an intrinsically strong Raman active vibrational mode. This approach allows facile systematic assessments of how variations in nanoparticle size, substrate composition, and the gap between the nanoparticle and substrate affect the SPR of the bound particles. Both UV-vis transmission and reflection absorption (incident angle of 58 degrees ) spectroscopy are used to characterize the effect of each of these parameters on SPR. These results are then correlated with SERS enhancement factors (EFs) that were determined by accounting for particle surface concentrations, which were measured by atomic force microscopy, and the absolute number of labels, which were calculated on the basis of the surface area of each of the different-sized particles. All SERS spectra were collected at an incident angle of 58 degrees with respect to the surface normal. As expected, the SPR for particles in solution red-shifts with increasing particle size. More importantly, the SPR moves to even longer wavelengths as the size of immobilized particles increases and as the gap between the immobilized particle and substrate decreases. The red shift is also greater for a gold nanoparticle tethered to a gold substrate compared to a silver substrate. A theoretical model for the extinction of a particle above a flat substrate, corrected for surface scattering, radiation damping, and dynamic depolarization, is also briefly detailed. SPR results calculated with the model are consistent with the shifts observed in the SPR position for each of the manipulated experimental variables. The largest EFs are found for samples with an SPR maximum (lambda(max)) between the wavelengths for laser excitation (633 nm) and the Raman band for the symmetric nitro stretch of the particle coating (690 nm). As an example, an order of magnitude in the SERS enhancement factor is gained for a 60-nm particle immobilized 1.2 nm above a gold substrate (SPR lambda(max) = 657 nm) compared to that for a 30-nm particle (SPR lambda(max) = 596 nm).     

Synthesis of Au, Au/Ag, Au/Pt and Au/Pd nanoparticles using the microwave-polyol method

Gold, Au/Ag, Au/Pt and Au/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles with varying mol fractions were synthesized in ethylene glycol and glycerol, using the microwave technique in the presence of a stabilizer poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). It was found that bimetallic colloids of Au/Ag, Au/Pd and Au/Pt form an alloy either on co-reduction of respective metal ions or on mixing individual sols.     

The study of resonance Raman scattering spectrum on the surface of Cu nanoparticles with ultraviolet excitation and density functional theory

Cu colloid was prepared by oxidation-reduction; it was relatively steady in fixed conditions, with size about 10-30 nm. The Raman spectrum of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) in Cu colloid solution with the ultraviolet (UV) excitation at 325 nm, was obtained, even it is usually difficult to obtain Raman signals in Ag or Au in the UV region. It was found that the Raman signal intensities result from the resonance enhanced of surface plasmon resonance of Cu nanoparticles excited at 325 nm. The adsorption behavior of PHBA on the Cu nanoparticles was studied by combining with density functional theory (DFT); it was found that the calculated Raman frequencies were in good agreement with experimental value. So one can conclude that the simplified model is probably reasonable to describe some resonance Raman experiments.     

Dependencies of the Raman spectra of p-oligophenyls on the chain length and the excitation wavelength

The 1064 nm excited Raman spectra of p-terphenyl, p-quaterphenyl, p-quinquephenyl and p-sexiphenyl have been observed and compared with the 514.5 nm excited spectra. Dependencies of intensities of some major bands on the chain length and the excitation wavelength are discussed in terms of the preresonant Raman effect. A method for estimating the chain length from relative intensities is proposed.