Surface enhanced Raman scattering of molecules related to highly ordered gold cavities

We presented a controlled particles‐in‐cavity (PIC) pattern for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. The periodic gold cavity array was fabricated by electrodeposition using highly ordered polystyrene spheres as a template. The as‐prepared gold cavities can be used as a SERS active substrate with significant spectral enhancement and reproducibility, which was evaluated by SERS signals using 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (4‐MBA) as probe molecules. The surface of these gold cavities was further functionalized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide molecules, which may immobilize the 4‐MBA‐modified silver nanoparticles in the gold cavity to form a PIC structure via the electrostatic interaction. We have demonstrated that there exists a pH window for the immobilization of the nanoparticles inside cavities. Therefore, the silver nanoparticles can be selectively immobilized into the functionalized gold cavities under the optimized pH value of the media. Further enhancement of the Raman scattering of the labeled molecules can be achieved due to the interconnection between the silver nanoparticles and gold cavity. Copyright © 2013 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.     

Nanostructured gold surfaces as reproducible substrates for surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy is a common tool for the qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of molecules. Although the unique identification of molecules is possible via their vibrational lines, high concentrations (mmol/l) are needed for their nonresonant excitation owing to their low scattering cross section. The intensity of the Raman spectra is amplified by the use of the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. While the use of silver sols results only in a limited reproducibility of the Raman line intensities, lithographically designed, nanostructured gold surfaces used as SERS‐active substrates should, in principle, combine the high sensitivity with better reproducibility. For this purpose, we have produced gratings of gold dots on Si(001) surfaces by means of electron beam lithography. Qualitative and quantitative investigations of crystal violet (CV) performed using nanostructured surfaces give high reproducibility and enhancement of the Raman lines. The substrates are reusable after cleaning; all results presented could be obtained from a single SERS substrate. For the experiments very low laser powers were used. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of atomic layer deposition to improve the stability of silver substrates for in situ,high‐temperature SERS measurements

A method to stabilize silver surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for in situ, high‐temperature applications is demonstrated. Silver island films grown by thermal evaporation were coated with a thin layer (from 2.5 to 5 nm) of alumina by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which protects and stabilizes the SERS‐active substrate without eliminating the Raman enhancement. The temporal stability of the alumina‐coated silver island films was examined by measurement of the Raman intensity of rhodamine 6G molecules deposited onto bare and alumina‐coated silver substrates over the course of 34 days. The coated substrates showed almost no change in SERS enhancement, while the uncoated substrates exhibited a significant decrease in Raman intensity. To demonstrate the feasibility of the alumina‐coated silver substrate as a probe of adsorbates and reactions at elevated temperatures, an in situ SERS measurement of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate on bare and alumina‐coated silver was performed at temperatures ranging from 25 to 400 °C. ALD deposition of an ultrathin alumina layer significantly improved the thermal stability of the SERS substrate, thus enabling in situ detection of the dehydration of the calcium nitrate tetrahydrate at an elevated temperature. Despite some loss of Raman signal, the coated substrate exhibited greater thermal stability compared to the uncoated substrate. These experiments show that ALD can be used to synthesize stable SERS substrates capable of measuring adsorbates and processes at high temperature. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

农药残留检测中表面增强拉曼光谱的研究进展

农药直接污染环境和食物,最终被人体吸收。其残留物具有高毒性,对人体健康造成严重影响。色谱法、气液色谱串联质谱法等在农药残留检测中应用较为广泛,但存在预处理步骤复杂、费时耗力等缺点。表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS）技术因具备灵敏度高、特异性好、提供全面指纹信息且对样品无损等优点被视为一种新型农残检测方法,可通过简单提取实现液体或固体样品中痕量农药残留的高效检测。在这篇综述中,主要从SERS的增强基底制备、检测方法以及光谱智能解析三个方面对农药残留SERS检测技术及方法的研究进展进行综述,以期为农药残留检测方法提供新的参考。首先,针对SERS增强基底制备,单一的贵金属溶胶纳米颗粒因其“热点”随机、不可控等因素导致稳定性和灵敏性较差,已不能满足痕量农药残留检测。为提高SERS基底的吸附能力使待测物在其表面富集且信号不发生显著变化,对单一贵金属溶胶纳米颗粒进行组装,或加入化学物质、惰性材料等进行修饰制备均一性高的SERS复合基底,保证SERS信号有良好的重现性和灵敏性。其次,为了实现特异性和高灵敏检测,SERS检测方法不再只以单纯的金、银纳米颗粒作为增强基底,而是逐渐趋向于优化样本前处理技术、化学修饰法制备特异性SERS探针、基底物理结构突破以及动态SERS（D-SERS）检测等方向发展。在获得物质的拉曼光谱后,有效拉曼特征区通常在较短的波数范围内,而光谱数据高达上千维,冗余较多,导致后续分析复杂度增加。SERS光谱智能分析则采用化学计量学方法对原始光谱进行预处理、特征提取和模型构建,实现数据降维和主要信息提取,进而实现农残的定性与定量。综上,SERS作为一种快速检测农药残留的方法具有很好的发展前景,可为今后的分析检测领域提供新的借鉴。     

Effects of solid substrate on the SERS‐based immunoassay: a comparative study

A comparative study of the solid substrates used in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based immunoassay is made in this paper. Five different substrates were prepared and divided into two groups with and without SERS activity. They are (1) a poly‐L ‐lysine slide, (2) a glutaraldehyde (GA)‐aminosilane slide, (3) a substrate assembled with silver nanoparticles, (4) a substrate assembled with silver nanoparticles and functionalized with GA–aminosilane and (5) a substrate assembled with gold nanoparticles, of which the first two are substrates are without SERS activity and the latter three are with SERS activity because of the existence of the metallic nanoparticles. The SERS experimental results show that the immunoassay performed on an SERS‐active substrate is more effective than that employing the inactive substrate. Among the inactive substrates, the GA–aminosilane slide with a better ability for antibody immobilization leads to a more sensitive immunoassay than the poly‐L ‐lysine slide. Moreover, for SERS‐based immunoassay, the substrate with assembled silver nanoparticles has an advantage of higher SERS enhancement capacity over the substrate assembled with gold nanoparticles. This work indicates that SERS‐active substrates play important and positive roles in sensitive SERS‐based immunoassay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fabrication and characterization of SERS‐active silver clusters on glassy carbon

In this article, a novel technique for the fabrication of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active silver clusters on glassy carbon (GC) has been proposed. It was found that silver clusters could be formed on a layer of positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium) (PDDA) anchored to a carbon surface by 4‐aminobenzoic acid when a drop containing silver nanoparticles was deposited on it. The characteristics of the obtained silver clusters have been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), SERS and an SERS‐based Raman mapping technique in the form of line scanning. The AFM image shows that the silver clusters consist of several silver nanoparticles and the size of the clusters is in the range 80–100 nm. The SERS spectra of different concentrations of rhodamine 6G (R6G) on the silver clusters were obtained and compared with those from a silver colloid. The apparent enhancement factor (AEF) was estimated to be as large as 3.1 × 10⁴ relative to silver colloid, which might have resulted from the presence of ‘hot‐spots’ at the silver clusters, providing a highly localized electromagnetic field for the large enhancement of the SERS spectra of R6G. The minimum electromagnetic enhancement factor (EEF) is estimated to be 5.4 × 10⁷ by comparison with the SERS spectra of R6G on the silver clusters and on the bare GC surface. SERS‐based Raman mapping technique in the form of line scanning further illustrates the good SERS activity and reproducibility on the silver clusters. Finally, 4‐mercaptopyridine (4‐Mpy) was chosen as an analyte and the lowest detected concentration was investigated by the SERS‐active silver clusters. A concentration of 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ M 4‐Mpy could be detected with the SERS‐active silver clusters, showing the great potential of the technique in practical applications of microanalysis with high sensitivity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SER(R)S of porphyrins on Ag nanoparticles immobilized by silane: a unique way to obtain free‐base porphyrin spectra

We measured the surface‐enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SER(R)S) spectra of 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis (1‐methyl‐4‐pyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP) by using solid SERS‐active substrates: Ag nanoparticles immobilized by aminosilane on glass plates. We report the surprising result that by using such substrates it is possible to obtain SER(R)S spectra of porphyrins in the unperturbed free‐base form, although by using silver nanoparticles directly in solution, the porphyrin molecules are completely metalated. We suggest that silane used for nanoparticle immobilization modifies the surface properties and, therefore, makes porphyrin metalation impossible. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thiol‐immobilized silver nanoparticle aggregate films for surface enhanced Raman scattering

We report a novel method for the fabrication of films of silver nanoparticle aggregates that are strongly attached to Si substrates (Thiol‐immobilized silver nanoparticle aggregates or TISNA). The attachment is achieved by chemically modifying the surface of a Si(100) surface in order to provide SH groups covalently linked to the substrate and then aggregating silver nanoparticles on these thiol covered surfaces. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization show a high coverage with single nanoparticles or small clusters and a partial coverage with fractal aggregates that provide potential hot spots for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We have confirmed the SERS activity of these films by adsorbing rhodamine 6G and recording the Raman spectra at several concentrations. By using the silver‐chloride stretching band as an internal standard, the adsorbate bands can be normalized in order to correct for the effects of focusing and aggregate size, which determine the number of SERS active sites in the focal area. This allows a quantitative use of SERS to be done. The adsorption–desorption of rhodamine 6G on TISNA films is reversible. These features make our TISNA films potential candidates for their use in chemical sensors based on the SERS effect. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

银和去合金银-金纳米粒子的SERS活性研究

用乙二醇还原硝酸银,聚乙烯吡咯烷酮作表面活性剂合成了大量的银纳米颗粒。银纳米颗粒和HAuCl4发生置换反应后形成去合金银-金纳米粒子。以吡啶和SCN-作为探针分子研究了它们的SERS活性。结果表明,当探针分子吸附于银纳米颗粒和去合金银-金纳米粒子上时,探针分子的特征振动峰强度增强、频率发生位移。SERS可表征纳米粒子物理和化学性质的变化。     

Glass‐embedded silver nanoparticle patterns by masked ion‐exchange process for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

Glass‐embedded silver nanoparticle patterns were fabricated by masked silver–sodium ion‐exchange process followed by etching to reveal the particles for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The intensity of the enhanced Raman signal is comparable to that of the fluorescence, and the detection limit of 1 nM for Rhodamine 6G has been achieved. Raman images at different etching depths and corresponding morphological images are compared to find optimal SERS signal. Our results demonstrate that silver nanoparticle patterns embedded in glass can be used as SERS‐active substrates. Nanoparticles can be formed in a glass of high optical quality and have potential to be integrated with optical waveguides for a sensor chip. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photonic Crystal Fibre SERS Sensors Based on Silver Nanoparticle Colloid

A photonic crystal fibre （PCF） surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） sensor is developed based on silver nanoparticle colloid. Analyte solution and silver nanoparticles are injected into the air holes of PCF by a simple modified syringe to overcome mass-transport constraints, allowing more silver nanoparticles involved in SERS activity. This sensor offers significant benefit over the conventional SERS sensor with high flexibility, easy manufacture. We demonstrate the detection of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid （4-MBA ） molecules with the injecting way and the common dipping measurement. The injecting way shows obviously better results than the dipping one. Theoretical analysis indicates that this PCF SERS substrate offers enhancement of about 7 orders of magnitude in SERS active area.     

基于纳米锥森林结构的表面增强拉曼散射透明器件研究

具有无损、超灵敏和实时检测优点的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)器件具有重要研究意义。目前,针对SERS器件的大部分研究都围绕着非透明的器件展开。使用此类器件检测高浓度试剂时,激光只能从正面入射。这意味着入射激光需要穿透被测试剂分子层才能到达位于其下方的金属纳米结构表面,因此用于激发金属纳米结构表面等离子体共振(SPR)的激光能量被减弱,相应地,SERS光谱信号也被减弱;此外,SERS光谱信号因被测试剂分子层的遮挡,无法高效返回到电荷耦合元件(CCD)中,再次被大幅度减弱,甚至有可能完全无法被检测到。相比之下,如果使用透明SERS器件,检测过程中将被测试剂分子置于器件正面,激光从器件背面入射,此时高浓度被测试剂分子层对入射激光和SERS光谱信号的干扰最小。这种情况下,可以得到较好的光谱信号。通过在石英基底上旋涂聚酰亚胺(PI)层,然后通过氧等离子体对PI层进行无掩模轰击,在石英基底上自行生成纳米纤维掩模,配合反应离子刻蚀工艺(RIE)制备了石英纳米锥森林结构。之后,通过金属纳米颗粒溅射工艺,得到SERS透明器件。对于该SERS透明器件,在测试过程中,拉曼激光可从器件的正面以及背面分别入射。初步的测试结果表明,对于罗丹明6G(R6G)在10^-3~10^-6 mol·L^-1这一浓度范围内,背面入射方式收集的SERS光谱信号强度高于正面入射方式。另外,进一步研究了该SERS透明器件背面检测的一致性,得到了良好的结果,证明了其在实际生化检测中的可行性。这一工作有望扩展SERS在分析物检测领域中的应用。     

SERS signal response and SERS/SERDS spectra of fluoranthene in water on naturally grown Ag nanoparticle ensembles

We present experimental results of the time‐dependent Raman signal response of fluoranthene adsorbed on a naturally grown Ag nanoparticle ensemble, which serves as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. In addition, SERS characteristics such as the concentration‐dependent calibration curves and the limit of detection (LOD) for fluoranthene in distilled water will be shown. The SERS substrate was prepared by Volmer–Weber growth under ultrahigh vacuum condition and exhibits a plasmon resonance wavelength at 491 nm. For the measurement of SERS signal response and SERS/shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy spectra of fluoranthene in water, experimental Raman setup containing a microsystem light source with two emission wavelengths (487.61 nm and 487.91 nm) was used. We experimentally demonstrate that the maximum SERS intensity is achieved 9 min after changing the analyte concentration from 0 nmol/l to 600 nmol/l. This response time is explained by a time‐dependent adsorption of the probe molecules onto the nanoparticles. The LOD for fluoranthene in water was evaluated applying shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) at different molecule concentrations. For SERDS, two emission wavelengths of a prototype microsystem light source have been used for Raman excitation. The experimental results reveal that the LOD for the probe molecules is very low. Experimentally, we have detected a fluoranthene concentration of only 4 nmol/l, which is very close to our estimated LOD of 2 nmol/l. Thus, the presented Raman setup, with a SERS substrate, whose plasmon resonance coincides with the excitation wavelength for SERS measurements, is well suited for in‐situ trace detection of pollutant chemicals in water. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of calixarene to high active surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates suitable for in situ detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seawater

The characteristics of the sol–gel matrix embedding Ag nanoparticles functionalized with 25,27‐dimercaptoacetic acid‐26,28‐dihydroxy‐4‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene (DMCX) suitable for the in situ detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seawater is presented. The DMCX‐functionalized silver nanoparticles were produced by the thermal reduction method in xerogel film. The silver colloid blocks were formed in the sol–gel matrix, with a diameter ranging from 50 to 120 nm. DMCX forming the monolayer on the silver nanoparticle surface contributes to the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity due to the aggregation of silver nanoparticles and the preconcentration of PAH molecules within the zone of electromagnetic enhancement. When selected, PAH molecules e.g. pyrene and naphthalene were adsorbed onto the SERS substrate; Raman band positions of PAH were slightly shifted. A calibration procedure reveals that this type of SERS substrate has a limit of detection of 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/l for pyrene and 13 × 10⁻⁹ mol/l for naphthalene in artificial seawater. The Raman signal response on a pyrene concentration change in artificial seawater was evaluated using a 671‐nm Raman setup with a flow‐through cell. This type of SERS substrate will be suitable for the in situ trace detection of pollutant chemicals in seawater. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Portable smart films for ultrasensitive detection and chemical analysis using SERS and SERRS

Metallic nanostructures, much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, which support localized surface plasmon resonances, are central to the giant signal enhancement achieved in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface‐enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS). Plasmonic driven SERS and SERRS is a powerful analytical tool for ultrasensitive detection down to single molecule detection. For all practical SERS applications a key issue is the development of reproducible and portable SERS‐active substrates, where the most widely used metals for nanostructure fabrication are silver and gold. Here, we report the fabrication of a ‘smart film’, containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), produced by in situ reduction of gold chloride III (Au⁺³) in natural rubber (NR) membranes for SERS and SERRS applications. The composite films (NR/AuNP membranes) show characteristic plasmon absorption of Au nanostructures, which notably do not influence the mechanical properties of the NR membranes. The term ‘smart film’ has to do with the fact that the SERS substrate (smart film) is flexible and standalone, which allows one to take it anywhere and to dip it into solutions containing the analyte to be characterized by SERS or SERRS technique. Besides, the synthesis of the AuNPs at the surface of NR films is much simpler than making an Au colloid and cast it onto a substrate surface or preparing an Au evaporated film. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering from silver‐coated anodic aluminum oxide and porous silicon

Three types of Ag‐coated arrays from porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) were prepared and studied as substrates for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). They were compared with Ag‐coated porous silicon (PSi) samples. AAO‐based substrates were prepared by the vapor deposition of silver directly onto the surface of porous AAO with different morphologies of the pores, whereas SERS‐active island films on the PSi were prepared by immersion plating. The resulting metallic nanostructures were characterized by UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal evaporation leads to the formation of granular arrays of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of AAO. SERS activity of the substrates was tested using water‐soluble cationic Zn(II)‐tetrakis (4‐N‐methylpyridyl) porphyrin (ZnTMPyP4) as a probe molecule. The results indicate that all AAO‐based substrates studied here exhibit some degree of SERS activity. Noteworthy, for excitation at 532 nm, signals from AAO‐based substrates were comparable with those from the PSi‐based ones, whereas for 441.6 nm excitation they were about twice higher. The strongest SERS‐enhancement at 441.6 nm excitationwas provided by the AAO substrates with silver deposited on the monolith (originally nonporous) side of AAO. Preferential SERS‐enhancement of the bands ascribed to the vibrations of the N‐methylpyridinium group of ZnTMPyP4 when going to blue excitation was found. Copyright © 2010 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.     

Nanoprobes for intracellular and single cell surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)

Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising and powerful label free technique for high resolution analysis of single cells. For intracellular analysis, there is a need for SERS‐active nanoprobes that are minimally invasive to cells, do not affect cell viability, and provide reproducible signals. This work reviews the state‐of‐the‐art tools currently available for intracellular SERS. Various types of SERS probes are considered, including colloidal gold and silver nanoparticles, metallized optical fibers, and tip‐enhanced Raman probes. We also discuss recently developed SERS‐active nanopipettes implemented on the basis of pulled glass microcapillaries. Finally, the critical aspects of selecting an optimal SERS nanoprobe for single‐cell analysis depending on a particular application are summarized. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile synthesis of gelatin‐protected silver nanoparticles for SERS applications

Gelatin‐protected silver nanoparticles have been synthesized by a one‐pot, green method for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications using gelatin as the reducing and stabilizing agent. The gelatin protection on silver nanoparticle surface helps improve its stability greatly and water dispersibility, while retaining high SERS activity of silver nanoparticles. The gelatin‐protected silver nanoparticles showed SERS signals as low as 100 nM of the typical Raman reporter molecules, RuBPY and R6G and 10 μM of other molecules of interest, melamine and folic acid. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.