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Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection of Biomolecules Using EBL Fabricated Nanostructured Substrates
Published on: March 20, 2015
Gold Film over SiO2 Nanospheres-New Thermally Resistant Substrates for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)
Karel Kouba1, Jan Proška2, Marek Procházka3
1Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 7, 115 19 Prague 1, Czech Republic. Karel.Kouba@fjfi.cvut.cz.
Abstract:
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors are constructed from metallic plasmonic nanostructures providing high sensitivity and spectral reproducibility. In many cases, irradiation of the SERS substrate by the laser beam leads to an increase of the local temperature and consequently to thermal degradation of metallic nanostructure itself and/or adsorbed analyte. We report here a "bottom-up" technique to fabricate new thermally resistant gold "film over nanosphere" (FON) substrates for SERS. We elaborated the simple and straightforward method of preparation of homogeneously and closely packed monolayer of SiO2 nanoparticles (50 nm in diameter) and covered it by a thin (20 nm) layer of magnetron-sputtered gold. The spectral testing using biologically important molecules (methylene blue, cationic porphyrin, and fungicide 1-methyl-1H-benzimidazole-2-thiol) proved a sensitivity and reproducibility of our AuSiO2 substrates. The main advantage of such SERS-active substrates is high thermal stability and low intensity of background and signal of graphitic carbon.
