Plasmon-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Using α-Type MoO₃ Semiconductor Nanorods with Strong Light...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) advancements often focus on chemical mechanisms.
• The electromagnetic contribution in semiconductor SERS substrates remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the electromagnetic mechanism's role in semiconductor SERS.
• Develop a high-performance SERS substrate using semiconductor nanorods.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of densely aligned α-type MoO3 nanorods with specific structural attributes.
• Characterization of light transport and electric field localization.
• Testing SERS performance with rhodamine 6G molecules.

Main Results:

• Achieved high SERS sensitivity with an enhancement factor of 2 × 10^8.
• Demonstrated a low detection limit of 5 × 10^-9 M for R6G.
• Observed strong light scattering and localized electric fields, indicating significant electromagnetic contributions.

Conclusions:

• Semiconductor nanostructure engineering is crucial for enhancing SERS performance.
• Electromagnetic excitation processes are vital in plasmon-free SERS platforms.
• The study provides guidance for designing effective electromagnetic-based SERS semiconductor substrates.