Enhancements in intensity and thermal stability of Raman spectra based on roughened gold substrates modified by underpotential deposition of silver

In this study, electrochemically roughened gold is modified with underpotential deposition (UPD) silver to investigate the effects on enhancements in the intensity and the thermal stability of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on the UPD Ag‐modified Au substrate exhibits a higher intensity by six‐fold of magnitude, as compared with that of R6G adsorbedon the unmodified Au substrate. Moreover, the SERS enhancement capabilities of UPD Ag‐modified Au and unmodified Au substrates are seriously depressed at temperatures higher than 200 and 150 °C, respectively. It indicates that the modification of UPD Ag can significantly depress the thermal destruction of SERS‐active substrates. Copyright © 2009 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.     

A facile method for the synthesis of large‐size Ag nanoparticles as efficient SERS substrates

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) enjoy a reputation as an ultrasensitive substrate for surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). However, large‐scale synthesis of Ag NPs in a controlled manner is a challenging task for a long period of time. Here, we reported a simple seed‐mediated method to synthesize Ag NPs with controllable sizes from 50 to 300 nm, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. SERS spectra of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) from the as‐prepared Ag NPs substrates indicate that the enhancement capability of Ag NPs varies with different excitation wavelengths. The Ag NPs with average sizes of ~150, ~175, and ~225 nm show the highest SERS activities for 532, 633, and 785‐nm excitation, respectively. Significantly, 150‐nm Ag NPs exhibit an enhancement factor exceeding 10⁸ for pyridine (Py) molecules in electrochemical SERS (EC‐SERS) measurements. Furthermore, finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) calculation is employed to explain the size‐dependent SERS activity. Finally, the potential of the as‐prepared SERS substrates is demonstrated with the detection of malachite green. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ nucleation and growth of silver nanoparticles in membrane materials: a controllable roughened SERS substrate with high reproducibility

A controllable roughened silver surface with high surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and high reproducibility has been developed in this study. This silver surface was prepared by silver nucleation in polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) and silver‐enlarged growth. First, the small Ag nuclei were synthesized by NaBH₄ in situ reduction of Ag ions on a surface of PEMs. Then the small Ag nuclei formed were effectively enlarged by using a mixture of commercially available reagents named Li Silver . The optical properties and morphologies of the silver substrates have been investigated by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The UV–vis and AFM results revealed that the small Ag nuclei separately appeared on the PEMs after NaBH₄ in situ reduction. The size of the enlarged Ag nanoparticles can be easily controlled with the immersing cycle in Li Silver. 4‐Mercaptopyridine (4‐MPY) and Rhodamine 6G (R6G) have been used as Raman probes to evaluate the properties of the new SERS substrates. It has been found that the enhancement factor of R6G reached ∼10⁹ after treatment in Li Silver. Reproducibility has been investigated using the SERS signal intensity at 1094 cm⁻¹ of 4‐MPY. Signals collected over multiple spots within the same substrate resulted in a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 6.38%, while an RSD of 10.33% was measured in signals collected from different substrates. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman investigations of TiO2 nanotube substrates covered with thin Ag or Cu deposits

A tubular array of TiO₂ nanotubes on Ti matrix was used as a support for Ag or Cu sputter‐deposited layers intended for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) investigations. The composite samples of Ag/TiO₂–nanotube/Ti and Cu/TiO₂–nanotube/Ti were studied with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) [and scanning Auger microscopy (SAM)] to reveal their characteristic morphological and chemical features. Raman spectra of pyridine (as a probe molecule) were measured after it had been adsorbed on the TiO₂–nanotube/Ti substrates covered with thin Ag or Cu deposit as well as on the bulk electrochemically roughened Ag or Cu reference substrates. It was found that the SERS spectra measured for pyridine adsorbed on the bulk silver substrate were significantly different than the spectra measured on the TiO₂–nanotube/Ti substrates covered the Ag layer. The spectra measured for pyridine adsorbed on the Ag/TiO₂–nanotube/Ti suggest that on the surface of such a composite substrate there are many Lewis acidic sites. Spectra typical for pyridine adsorbed on acidic sites were observed even after deposition of a relatively thick silver layer (e.g. an Ag layer with an average thickness of 80 nm) on the TiO₂–nanotube/Ti support. Our findings suggest that TiO₂–nanotube/Ti support is a promising substrate for the preparation of metallic nano‐clusters on a support containing acidic active sites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distinguishable behavior of multiple and individual rhodamine‐6G molecules on spherical Ag nanoparticles examined via time dependence of the SERS spectra

We report a surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) investigation to probe the adsorption and dynamic behavior of rhodamine 6 G (Rh6G) molecules on spherical Ag nanoparticles which were produced via laser ablation in liquid. Assembly of the colloidal Ag nanoparticles on a cover glass was used to work as SERS substrates on which high‐quality SERS spectra of Rh6G were obtained with interesting time dependence when using low and ultralow concentrations, respectively. The variation of SERS spectra over time was identified with the adsorption behavior of multiple and individual molecules on the Ag nanoparticles. Analysis indicates that the adsorbed Rh6G molecules can desorb away from the initial locations on the substrate under continuous laser excitation; simultaneously, some individual molecules can move and become trapped in the gap between the aggregated Ag nanoparticles. These investigations help to clarify the origins of forming ‘hot‐spots’ which host probe molecules and hence improve the understanding of mechanisms for single‐molecule SERS spectroscopy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

银/硅纳米孔柱阵列活性基底的SERS效应研究

以硅纳米孔柱阵列(Si-NPA)为衬底,采用浸渍法制备出一种具有规则表面形貌特征的银/硅纳米孔柱阵列(Ag/Si-NPA),并以R6G为探测目标材料,对其表面增强拉曼(SERS)效应进行了研究。结果表明,对于R6G浓度低至10-15M,Ag/Si-NPA均能表现出清晰的特征SERS峰。随着浓度的降低,R6G的荧光淬灭,所测拉曼光谱的基线降低,但特征峰峰位基本保持不变。在低浓度10-15M时得到的SERS光谱,理论上证明为单分子光谱。此外,Ag/Si-NPA活性基底具有较好的稳定性,在长达28天的自然老化过程中,Ag/Si-NPA能够保持对R6G较高的探测水平,光谱具有较好的信噪比和分辨率。Ag/Si-NPA是一种理想的SERS活性基底。     

Facile fabrication of SERS-active substrates based on discarded silver compact disks

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a powerful analytical tool has gained extensive attention. Despite of many efforts in the design of SERS substrates, it still remains a grand challenge for creating a general substrate by a simple and low-cost way. Herein, we report our attempt to address this issue by fabricating SERS-active substrates based on discarded silver (Ag) compact disks (CDs). The revealed Ag layer on the CDs after removing its protective film can be used as SERS substrate directly and exhibited a good SERS activity. The Ag CDs was further roughened by electrochemical oxidation-reduction cycle in 0.1 M KCl and improved its SERS activity greatly. The effects of roughened parameters on the SERS activity were investigated in detail. Moreover, a sandwich structure consisting of Ag nanoparticles, p-aminobenzenethiol and roughened Ag CDs was fabricated as an example to further enhance the SERS activity for detection in ultra-high sensitivity. These SERS-active substrates based on Ag CDs are all low-cost and allowing a “one way use”. The fabrication is also very simple and exhibits great potential for extensive application.     

Improved surface‐enhanced Raman scattering properties of TiO2 nanoparticles by Zn dopant

In this paper, pure and Zn‐doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) with various content of Zn were prepared by a sol–hydrothermal method and were employed as active substrates for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). On the 3% Zn‐doped TiO₂ substrate, 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid(4‐MBA) molecules exhibit a higher SERS intensity by a factor of 6, as compared with the native enhancement of 4‐MBA adsorbed on undoped TiO₂ NPs. Moreover, the higher SERS activity was still observed on the 3% Zn‐doped TiO₂ NPs at temperature even up to 125 °C. These results indicate that an appropriate amount of Zn doping can improve the SERS performances of TiO₂ SERS‐active substrates. The introduction of Zn dopant can enrich the surface states (defects) of TiO₂ and improve the separation efficiency of photo‐generated charge carriers (electrons and holes) in TiO₂, according to measurements of X‐ray diffraction, UV‐visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, which are responsible for the influence of Zn dopant on the improved SERS performances of TiO₂ NPs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A rapid technique for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Incubator‐shaker method was used as a rapid technique to fabricate an efficient surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate by combination of zero valent nanostructures and carbon fiber, which shows dramatic Raman enhancement of nitroaromatic molecule. The fabricated Ag nanoparticle on carbon‐fiber substrate (Ag–C) was used as an efficient SERS substrate to detect the adsorbed 2, 4‐dinitrotoluene molecules with a detection limit of 50 ppm. In advent, our developed SERS substrates could have great potential in detecting other nitro‐aromatic based‐explosive materials, such as 2, 4, 6‐trinitrotoluene molecules. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An improved self‐assembly gold colloid film as surface‐enhanced Raman substrate for detection of trace‐level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous solution

To detect trace‐level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some investigations of an improved self‐assembly method are carried out using gold colloid films for the preparation of the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐active substrate. Extinction spectra and scanning electron microscopy images reveal that controllable surface plasmonic metal substrates can be obtained by increasing the temperature of (3‐aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane solution up to 64.5 °C. The SERS‐active substrates have a high enhancement factor, and they can be both easily prepared and reproducible. With the use of these substrates, different concentrations of pyrene and anthracene in aqueous solutions were detected by SERS. A further enhancement can be supported by shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy. Raman signals of pyrene and anthracene adsorbed on gold colloid substrates up to limits of detection at 5 and 1 nmol/l, respectively, can be obtained. The quantitative analysis shows the possibility of in situ detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons while such gold colloid film serves as a SERS‐active substrate. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金纳米粒子的制备及其表面增强拉曼散射效应的研究

采用多巴胺化学还原法制备了分散性良好的纳米金溶胶,并检测了其作为表面增强拉曼散射(Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering,SERS)基底的性质。粒度和透射电子显微镜测试结果表明金溶胶为平均粒径30nm左右的球形颗粒,并且紫外-可见特征吸收峰出现在520nm,为典型的金纳米颗粒特征吸收峰。以罗丹明6G(R6G)为探针分子证明了金溶胶良好的SERS增强效果,用金溶胶对除草剂敌草快(DQ)进行检测,最低检测限可达1×10-7 mol/L。结果表明所制备的金溶胶具有良好的表面增强拉曼散射活性。     

胞嘧啶在沉积激光烧蚀Ag纳米颗粒电极上的SERS分析

用Nd:YAG激光器在二次去离子水中烧蚀银片,制备出了尺度分布均匀、并且具有很好的稳定性的"化学纯净"的Ag胶体系,并在电化学体系中将这种银胶沉积在粗糙的银电极表面,研究了胞嘧啶分子吸附在沉积Ag纳米颗粒电极表面随电极电位改变的表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)。分析表明:(1)沉积银纳米颗粒的电极将金属电极与金属溶胶体系各自的优势很好的结合起来,形成了一种高效的SERS活性基底。(2)胞嘧啶在沉积银颗粒的电极表面以N3位竖直吸附,并且随着电位的负移,大多数SERS峰的位置发生了红移,表明胞嘧啶在电极表面吸附作用减弱。     

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering study of human serum on PVA?Ag nanofilm prepared by using electrostatic self‐assembly

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)‐protected silver nanoarchitecture (PVA Ag nanofilm) on the surface of the glass substrate was prepared by using electrostatic self‐assembly at a proper voltage. The two‐dimensional morphology of the PVA Ag nanofilm has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of human serum (HS) on PVA Ag nanofilms were recorded. The results show that the Raman scattering of HS can be enhanced efficiently based on these PVA Ag nanofilms. However, it also can be seen that the effect of sodium citrate (SC) acting as anticoagulant on the SERS spectrum of HS is unnegligible, which has not been discussed adequately in the previous reports. To discuss the effect of SC on the SERS spectrum of HS, we have studied the normal Raman spectra of solid SC and the SERS spectra of 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol/l aqueous solution of SC adsorbed on the PVA–Ag nanofilms. Meanwhile, Raman wavenumbers of the SC molecule were calculated by using the method of DFT‐B3LYP/6‐31G*, and the dominant assignations of the calculated wavenumbers were performed. It was found that the density functional theory (DFT) calculation of SC Raman spectrum matches well with the experimental results. With the perfect reproducibility and high SERS activity, this method will be useful in the development of HS detection methods. 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.     

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.     

巯基苯并咪唑在银电极表面的自组装吸附特性及表面增强拉曼光谱

采用循环伏安法处理Ag电极,得到活化的具有表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)效应的粗糙Ag表面,进一步采用激光拉曼光谱探讨了2-巯基苯并咪唑(MBI)在其表面的自组装分子层的吸附特性。实验表明,在活性Ag表面的MBI自组装分子层能够产生理想的SERS效应,其强度随探针分子MBI浓度的增加先提高后减弱,达到一定浓度时因受其空间位阻等因素的影响,增强效应减弱。MBI在1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 浓度时增强效果最大。拉曼增强效应随着体系酸度的变化有着明显不同,在强酸性条件下的增强效应明显优于中性和碱性条件。MBI分子存在两种不同的异构体和在不同酸度下存在3种不同的存在形态,并形成动态平衡。pH <2时,MBI分子主要以硫酮式MBI⁺存在,并以巯基上的S:与活性Ag以配位方式吸附成键,其整个大π键平面垂直地吸附于Ag表面,产生相对较大的SERS信号。pH >2时,由于硫酮式和硫醇式与活性Ag的键合方式和能力不同,硫醇式上的S与Ag以S-Ag共价方式同时双键侧上的N以配位方式协同参与吸附成键,比硫酮式MBI⁺的单纯配位吸附要强,因而形成了竞争吸附,表现为SERS在pH=2~3.7之间的急剧下降。MBI硫醇式由于以S-Ag、N-Ag键的协同吸附,形成了倾斜侧卧式垂直吸附,而使拉曼增强效应相对减弱。     

二维银球腔阵列的制备及其在SERS检测中的应用

以密堆积的700 nm单分散聚苯乙烯微球为模板,采用多电流阶跃方法制备了不同深度的二维有序微/纳尺度银球腔阵列。通过扫描电子显微镜,反射紫外对球腔形貌及表面等离子体共振进行了表征,以对氨基苯硫酚及罗丹明6G为探针分子进行了表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)的研究。结果表明,通过控制电化学沉积的条件可以实现对球腔形貌的控制。以该种球腔阵列作为SERS基底,其增强因子可达107,并具有良好的信号重现性,信号间相对标准偏差小于8%。该基底用于对罗丹明6G的定量检测,检测限可达0.1 ng·mL-1。     

Spectroscopic studies of folic acid adsorbed on various metal substrates: does the type of substrate play an essential role in temperature dependence of spectral features?

Folic acid is an essential nutrient involved in biosynthetic processes and cell growth. From an analytical point of view, folic acid can be used as an active part of sensors for substances with affinity to folic acid molecules. In biological environment, sensors can be exposed to temperatures that differ from room temperature. Thus, it is important to describe the influence of temperature on adsorbed molecules, especially on orientation of molecules towards the metal surface and on stability of adsorbed layer. Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy is a useful tool for investigation of architecture of molecular layers adsorbed on metal surfaces because the spectral features change with varying orientation of molecules towards the surface, as well as with changes in interactions among adsorbed molecules. In this study, folic acid was adsorbed on electrochemically prepared Au and Ag substrates, and both these substrates were exposed to temperature changes according to the temperature program consisting of stabilization, the substrate temperature at 10°C, at 50°C and back at 10°C. Decomposition of adsorbed folic acid at 50°C can be excluded on both metals, though the metal (Ag or Au) influences the arrangement of adsorbed molecules and its temperature‐induced changes. In the case of Ag substrate, significant and irreversible increase of certain Stokes band intensities is observed, whereas in the case of Au substrate, the band intensity increase is negligible. Experimental spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis and supplemented with calculated data for folic acid molecule adsorbed on small metal cluster using density functional theory. Moreover, it was proved that changes of surface plasmon resonance and collision frequency of Ag substrate are negligible in the studied temperature interval. Slight re‐orientation of adsorbed folic acid molecules was identified as the main source of band intensity variation in the spectra of folic acid adsorbed on Ag. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Silver‐decorated carbon nanotube networks as SERS substrates

We report on investigations upon a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate produced from a two‐dimensional single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) network decorated with Ag nanoparticles. Using the strong and unique Raman spectrum of SWNTs as a reference, the SWNT/Ag nanostructure can be considered to provide two regions: one with an ultrasensitive SERS response for single‐molecule SERS (SMSERS) study; and another with uniform SERS enhancement over an area of several square millimeters for general SERS measurements. We report the appearance of an anomalous Raman feature at around 2180 cm⁻¹ in the high‐sensitivity region which exhibits the characteristics of SMSERS. The SERS performance of the uniform area was characterized using pyridine vapor adsorbed onto the substrate. The presence of the SWNT/Ag nanostructure enhanced the Raman intensity by over seven orders of magnitude, a factor comparable to or exceeding that obtained on SERS substrates reported by other groups. The results indicate great potential to produce highly sensitive, uniform SERS substrates via further fine‐tuning of the nanostructure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.