Thermal dewetting tunes surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) performance

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) offers ultra-sensitive chemical detection but requires reproducible substrates.
• Current research focuses on developing stable and easily prepared SERS-active metallic nanostructured films.
• The antitumor drug mitoxantrone (MTX) was chosen as a model analyte for substrate optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically study optimal conditions for SERS detection of mitoxantrone (MTX).
• To develop facile and reproducible methods for preparing gold (Au) nanoparticle substrates.
• To confirm the quantification capabilities of SERS for potential applications in food safety and biosensors.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of gold (Au) thin films on silicon (Si) substrates via sputtering.
• Solid-state thermal dewetting of Au films to create nanoparticles with controlled size distribution.
• Tailoring optical plasmon resonance properties of Au nanoparticles for enhanced Raman scattering.

Main Results:

• A facile and reproducible method for preparing Au nanoparticles on Si substrates was established.
• The optical properties of the nanoparticles were optimized for resonance Raman conditions.
• The study confirmed the potential for SERS quantification using these substrates.

Conclusions:

• Optimized Au nanoparticle substrates show promise for sensitive and reproducible SERS analysis.
• The developed method offers control over nanoparticle properties for tailored SERS applications.
• This work contributes to advancing SERS for practical applications in various fields.