Novel and simple route to fabricate 2D ordered gold nanobowl arrays based on 3D colloidal crystals

In this study, we present a new method to fabricate large-area two-dimensionally (2D) ordered gold nanobowl arrays based on 3D colloidal crystals by wet chemosynthesis, which combines the advantages of a very simple preparation and an applicability to "real" nanomaterials. By combination of in situ growth of gold nanoshell (GNSs) arrays based on three-dimensional (3D) colloidal silica crystals, a monolayer ordered reversed GNS array (2D ordered GNS array) was conveniently manufactured by an acrylic ester modified biaxial oriented polypropylene (BOPP). 2D ordered gold nanobowl array with adjustable periodic holes, good stability, reproducibility, and repeatability could be obtained when the silica core was etched by HF solution. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement factor (EF) of this 2D ordered gold nanobowl array could reach 1.27 × 10(7), which shows high SERS enhancing activity and can be used as a universal SERS substrate.