Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering on Self-assembled Nano Silver Film Prepared by Electrolysis Method

We demonstrate surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） detection of self-assembled nano silver film using a low-cost electrolysis strategy at a proper voltage and silver nitrate concentration in electrolyte. The concentration dependence of SERS from crystal violet （CV） molecules adsorbed to silver film was systematically studied. Importantly, the SERS surface enhancement factor of such nano silver film was 603, which was measured by a portable Raman spectrometer. The minimum concentration of detectable CV molecules can be as low as 10^-11 mol/L. The nano silver film prepared by this electrolysis method is an active, stable, cost-effective, and reusable SERS substrate.

EFFECT OF SOLVENT ON SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING SPECTRA OF COLLOIDAL SILVER

The effect of solvent on surface enhanced Raman scattering [SERS) of colloidal silver has been studied. Experiments show that the intensity of SERS is related to the polarity and molecular constitution of the solvent. The influence of solvent is due to the change of the adsorption quantity and adsorption intensity.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering properties of highly ordered self-assemblies of gold nanorods with different aspect ratios

Gold nanorods with aspect ratios of from 1 （particles） to 31.6 were synthesized by the seed-mediated method and packed in a highly ordered structure on a large scale on silicon substrates through capillary force induced self-assembly behaviour during solvent evaporation. The gold nanorod surface exhibits a strong enhancing effect on Raman scattering spectroscopy. The enhancement of Raman scattering for two model molecules （2-naphthalenethiol and rhodamine 6C） is about 5-6 orders of magnitude. By changing the aspect ratio of the Au nanorods, we found that the enhancement factors decreased with the increase of aspect ratios. The observed Raman scattering enhancement is strong and should be ascribed to the surface plasmon coupling between closely packed nanorods, which may result in huge local electromagnetic field enhancements in those confined junctions.

TiO_2/Ag composite nanowires for a recyclable surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate

Multifunctional TiO2/Ag composite nanowires are fabricated with a hydrothermal method by precipitating Ag nanoparticles （NPs） on the surfaces of TiO2 nanowires. This hierarchical one-dimensional （1D） nanostructure can be used as a surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） substrate with high sensitivity, for detecting the rhodamine 6G （R6G） in a wide range of low concentrations （from 1 × 10 6 M to 1 × 10-12 M）. In addition, the substrate can be self-cleaned under the irradiation of ultraviolet （UV） light due to the superior photocatalytic capacity of the TiO2/Ag composite nanostructure, making the recycled use of SERS substrates closer to reality. With both the evident SERS performance and high efficiency of photocatalytic capacity, such TiOz/Ag composite nanowires demonstrate considerable potential in the chemical sensing of organic pollutants.

STUDY ON PHOTO-INDUCED ORIENTATION OF A NOVEL PHOTO-ALIGNMENT FILM WITH SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING (SERS) SPECTROSCOPY

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy was first utilized to study the photo-orientation behaviour of the photoreactive groups on a novel photo-alignment film surface and elucidate the generation mechanism of pretilt angle. The novel photo-alignment film was prepared by spin-coating a solution of ladderlike polysiloxane (LPS) bearing dual photoreactive group on an ITO surface and by irradiation with linear-polarized ultraviolet (LPUV) light A Si—H terminal compound (M) containing an identical photosensitive part has been used to fabricate a model film for SERS investigation.

Cascade correlation-enhanced Raman scattering in atomic vapors

A new Raman process can be used to realize efficient Raman frequency conversion by coherent feedback at low light intensity [Chen B, Zhang K, Bian C L, Qiu C, Yuan C H, Chen L Q, Ou Z Y, and Zhang W P 2013 Opt. Express 21, 10490]. We present a theoretical model to describe this enhanced Raman process, termed as cascade correlation-enhanced Raman scattering, which is a Raman process injected by a seeded light field. It is correlated with the initially prepared atomic spin excitation and driven by the quasi-standing-wave pump fields, and the processes are repeated until the Stokes intensities are saturated. Such an enhanced Raman scattering may find applications in quantum information, nonlinear optics, and optical metrology due to its simplicity.

Monitoring the penetration and accumulation of gold nanoparticles in rat skin ex vivo using surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

Contamination by accidental cutaneous contact with the commercial products and the air pol-hutants raised a considerable health and safety issue.This study aimed to trace the dynamics of the 20 nm gold nanopartide(GNP)penetration and accumulation in rat skin tissues using a surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)techmique.After the topical application of GNPs on rat skin surface,the SERS spectra were recorded for every 15 pum to an overall depth of 75 pum from skin surface for 150 min.The processes of GNP penetration in rat skin were accompanied by aggregation of GNPs,which affected SERS spectra.The results revealed that 20 nm GNPs can penetrate through stratum corneum layer,viable epidermis layer,and then into dermis layer.This study demonstrated for the first time the potential of SERS spectroscopy to monitor the penetration and accumulation of GNPs in rat skin.

SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING OF C_(60) FILMS ON VARIOUS ACTIVE SUBSTRATES

In this paper,we report the study of surface-enhanced Raman Scattering of C_(60)films on roughed Ag,Cu and glass surface.The experiment results indicate that the C_(60)films on Ag substrate possess large enhance effect.An explanation of the enhancement with roughed glass surface is proposed based on waveguide Raman Scattering.

THE OBSERVATION OF ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING OF GASEOUS MOLECULES BY Hg MICRODROPLETS

ABSTRACT The Raman intensitics of gas molecules were found to be enormously enhanced in the presence of Hg-microdroplets.The enhancement factor for the molecules studied was found to be over 20.

Peroxidase-like single Fe atoms anchored on Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene as surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate for the simultaneous discrimination of multiple antioxidants

Single-atom nanozymes(SAzymes)are emerging as promising alternatives to mimic natural enzyme,which is due to high atomic utilization efficiency,well-defined geometric,and unique electronic structure.Herein,Fe single atoms supported on Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(Fe-SA/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x))with intrinsic peroxidase activity is developed,further constructing a sensitive Raman sensor array for sensing of five antioxidants.Fe-SA/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)shows excellent peroxidase-like performance in catalyzing the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB)with colorimetric reactions.X-ray adsorption fine structure(XAFS)reveals that the electron transport between the Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)and Fe atoms occurs along Fe-O-Ti ligands,meanwhile the density functional theory(DFT)calculations confirm the spontaneous dissociation of H_(2)O_(2)and the formation of OH radicals.Furthermore,the peroxidase-like Fe-SA/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)was used as surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)substrate of oxidized TMB(TMB+)and achieved satisfied signal amplification performance.Using the blocking effects of free radical reactions,one-off identification of 5 antioxidants,including ascorbic acid(AA),uric acid(UA),glutathione(GSH),melatonin(Mel),and tea polyphenols(TPP),could be realized with this high identifiable catalytic property.This principle could realize 100%distinguish accuracy combined with linear discriminant analysis(LDA)and heat map data analysis.A wide detection concentration ranges from 10^(-8)to 10^(-3)M for five antioxidants was also achieved.

Convective Assembly of Linear Gold Nanoparticle Arrays at the Micron Scale for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

A convective assembly technique at the micron scale analogous to the writing action of a ＂pipette pen＂ has been developed for the linear assembly of gold nanoparticle strips with micron scale width and millimeter scale length for surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）. The arrays with interparticle gaps smaller than 3 nm are hexagonally stacked in the vicinity of the pipette tip. Variable numbers of stacked layers and clean surfaces of the assembled nanoparticles are obtained by optimizing the velocity of the pipette tip. The SERS properties of tile assembled nanoparticle arrays rely on their stacking number and surface cleanliness.

Hole arrayed metal-insulator-metal structure for surface enhanced Raman scattering by self-assembling polystyrene spheres

A fabrication process based on the self-assembling polystyrene spheres is proposed to obtain hole arrayed metal-insulator-metal （HA-MIM） structure for surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）. The localized field enhancement aroused by the gap resonance in the HA-MIM structure is analyzed by finite-different time domain （FDTD） method. With reference to the theory result, the structure is experimentally fabricated and the Raman scattering spectrum of rhodamine 6G （R6G） is measured by a miniaturized Raman spectrometer. The results shows that the enhancement factor is 3.85 times higher than the control sample with single layered metal hole array. The fabrication process to obtain the HA-MIM SERS substrate is reproducible, fast, large area and low cost.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering of gold nanoparticles aggregated by a gold-nanofilm-coated nanofiber

Aggregation of metal nanoparticles plays an important role in surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）. Here, a strategy of dynamically aggregating/releasing gold nanopartides is demonstrated using a gold-nanofilm-coated nanofiber, with the assistance of enhanced optical force and plasmonic photothermal effect. Strong SERS signals of rhodamine 6G are achieved at the hotspots formed in the inter-particle and film-partide nanogaps. The proposed SERS substrate was demonstrated to have a sensitivity of 10-12 M, reliable reproducibility, and good stability.

Butterfly-wing hierarchical metallic glassy nanostructure for surface enhanced Raman scattering

The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)is a technique for the detection of analytes on the surface with an ultrahigh sensitivity down to the atomic-scale,yet the fabrication of SERS materials such as nanoparticles or arrays of coinage metals often involve multiple complex steps with the high cost and pollution,largely limiting the application of SERS.Here,we report a complex hierarchical metallic glassy(MG)nanostructure by simply replicating the surface microstructure of butterfly wings through vapor deposition technique.The MG nanostructure displays an excellent SERS effect and moreover,a superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning behavior.The SERS effect of the MG nanostructure is attributed to the intrinsic nanoscale structural heterogeneities on the MG surface,which provides a large number of hotspots for the localized electromagnetic field enhancement affirmed by the finite-difference time-domain(FDTD)simulation.Our works show that the MG could be a new potential SERS material with low cost and good durability,well extending the functional application of this kind of material.

Mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterojunction-enhanced Raman scattering

Van der Waals heterojunctions(vdWHs)provide an excellent material system for the research of heterojunction-enhanced Raman scattering(HERS)due to their complexity and diversity.However,the traditional two-dimensional vdWHs are not conducive to the full utilization of near-field light due to the limitation of single dimension.Herein,we fabricate T-shaped mixed-dimensional SnSe_(2)/ReS_(2) vdWHs via chemical vapor deposition and wetting transfer method,and demonstrate that the mixed-dimensional vdWHs can be used as ultrasensitive HERS chips based on the effective photo-induced charge transfer.Besides,the radiative energy transfer effect enhanced by near-field light further magnifies the HERS signals,improving the detection limit of rhodamine 6G(R6G)to femtomolar level.Furthermore,we demonstrate that the ultrasensitive screening of crystal violet in multicomponent solutions adsorbed on SnSe_(2)/ReS_(2) vdWHs can be achieved by adjusting the laser wavelength,which has not been achieved by noble metal materials.This work provides new insights into the mixed-dimensional vdWHs and demonstrates the great application potential of T-shaped heterojunctions.

Green synthesis of MIL⁃101/Au composite particles and their sensitivity to Raman detection of thiram

Metal⁃organic framework(MOF)MIL⁃101 and surface plasmon polariton(SPP)supported gold nanoparti⁃cles(Au NPs)hybrid systems were developed as a highly sensitive and reproducible surface⁃enhanced Raman scat⁃tering(SERS)detection platform,in which a green electrostatic self⁃assembly technology was adopted to construct the substrate.In an aqueous solution,the electronegativity of the particles can be used to prepare the composite sub⁃strate without any surface modifier.Due to the enrichment capacity of MIL⁃101 and the electromagnetic enhance⁃ment from Au NPs,the well⁃designed MIL⁃101/Au composites possessed ultrahigh sensitivity with the detection limit of Rhodamine 6G(R6G)as low as 10^(-10) mol·L^(-1).Meanwhile,the substrate exhibits high stability,excellent reproduc⁃ibility,and recyclability.Additionally,the novel substrate can be explored for direct capture,and sensitively detect pesticide residues such as thiram.

Multiple plasmon couplings in 3D hybrid Au-nanoparticles-decorated Ag nanocone arrays boosting highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering

Plasmon coupling is an essential strategy to realize strong local electromagnetic(EM)field which is crucial for high-performance plasmonic devices.In this work,multiple plasmon couplings are demonstrated in three-dimensional(3D)hybrid plasmonic systems composed of polydimethylsiloxane-supported ordered silver nanocone(AgNC)arrays decorated with high-density gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)which are fabricated by a template-assisted physical vapor deposition process.Strong interparticle coupling,particle-film coupling,inter-cone coupling,and particle-cone coupling are revealed by numerical simulations in such composite nanostructures,which produce intense and high-density EM hot spots,boosting highly sensitive and reproducible surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)detection with an enhancement factor of-1.74×10^(8).Furthermore,a linear correlation between logarithmic Raman intensity and logarithmic concentration of probe molecules is observed in a large concentration range.These results offer new ideas to develop novel plasmonic devices,and provide alternative strategy to realize flexible and high-performance SERS sensors for trace molecule detection and quantitative analysis.

Preparation of SiO_2@Au nanorod array as novel surface enhanced Raman substrate for trace pollutants detection

An effective surface enhanced Raman scattering（SERS） substrate is designed and fabricated by synthesis of Si O2 nanorods array via glancing angle deposition, followed by coating Au nanoparticles onto Si O2 surface in order to create numerous ＂hot spots＂. The detecting sensitivity of such substrate could be optimized by simply adjusting the deposition time of Au. Thus, it can be used for detection of Rhodamine 6G at concentration as low as 10^-9M. Furthermore, our SERS substrate is applied to detect 5 μg/g polychlorinated biphenyls in soil sample, which proves its potential for trace environmental pollutants detection.

Facile synthesis of intra-nanogap enhanced Raman tags with different shapes

Hot spot engineering in plasmonic nanostructures plays a significant role in surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)for bioanalysis and cell imaging.However,creating stable,reproducible,and strong SERS signals remains challenging due to the potential interference from surrounding chemicals and locating SERS-active analytes into hot-spot regions.Herein,we developed a straightforward approach to synthesize intra-gap nanoparticles encapsulating 4-nitrobenzenethiol(4-NBT)as a reporter molecule within these gaps to avoid outside interference.We made three kinds of intra-gap nanoparticles using nanorods,bipyramids,and nanospheres as cores,in which the nanorods based intra-gap nanoparticles exhibit the highest SERS activity.The advantage of our method is the ease of preparation of high-yield and stable intra-gap nanoparticles characterized by a short incubation time(10 min)with 4-NBT and quick synthesis without requiring an additional step to centrifuge for the purification of core nanoparticles.The intense localized field in the synthesized hot spots of these plasmonic gap nanostructures holds great promise as a SERS substrate for a broad range of quantitative optical applications.

Aluminium nanohole arrays enhanced resonance Raman scattering spectra in the near ultraviolet region

Aluminium nanohole arrays with fixed diameter were fabricated by focused ion beam and the periodicities were turned.Aluminium nanohole arrays enhanced resonance Raman scattering spectra in the near ultraviolet region were studied experimentally and theoretically,which revealed that the SERRS enhancement factor was as high as 6 orders.