Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Active Substrate Prepared with New Plasmon-Activated Water

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Aqueous electrochemical reactions traditionally use deionized (DI) water, characterized by a stable, tetrahedral hydrogen-bonded network.
• This 'bulk water' structure can limit reaction kinetics and diffusion processes.
• Alternative water structures may offer advantages for electrochemical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the benefits of using in situ plasmon-activated water (PAW) in electrochemical reactions.
• To compare the performance of PAW with conventional DI water in terms of reaction kinetics and diffusion.
• To evaluate the impact of PAW on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance.

Main Methods:

• Generation of plasmon-activated water (PAW) in situ.
• Electrochemical measurements using potassium ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6) as a probe.
• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) experiments using rhodamine 6G as a target analyte.

Main Results:

• PAW demonstrated a reduced hydrogen-bonded network compared to DI water.
• The diffusion coefficient of K3Fe(CN)6 increased by approximately 35% in PAW.
• The electron-transfer rate constant for K3Fe(CN)6 increased by approximately 15% in PAW.
• SERS experiments showed a twofold higher intensity enhancement for rhodamine 6G using PAW.
• SERS measurements in PAW exhibited a low relative standard deviation of 5%.

Conclusions:

• Plasmon-activated water (PAW) offers distinct advantages over deionized water for electrochemical reactions.
• The enhanced diffusion and electron-transfer kinetics in PAW lead to improved SERS performance.
• PAW presents a promising, simplified approach for enhancing electrochemical and SERS applications.