Photodeposition of silver can result in metal-enhanced fluorescence

Chemically deposited silver particles are widely used for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and more recently for surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF), also known as metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF). We now show that metallic silver deposited by laser illumination results in an approximately 7-fold increased intensity of locally bound indocyanine green. The increased intensity is accompanied by a decreased lifetime and increased photostability. These results demonstrate the possibility of photolithographic preparation of surfaces for enhanced fluorescence in microfluidics, medical diagnostics, and other applications.