• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.08a
• /
• pp.411-411
• /
• 2012

Over the recent years, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has dramatically grown as a label-free detecting technique with the high level of selectivity and sensitivity. Conventional SERS-active nanostructured layers have been deposited or patterned on rigid substrates such as silicon wafers and glass slides. Such devices fabricated on a flexible platform may offer additional functionalities and potential applications. For example, flexible SERS-active substrates can be integrated into microfluidic diagnostic devices with round-shaped micro-channel, which has large surface area compared to the area of flat SERS-active substrates so that we may anticipate high sensitivity in a conformable device form. We demonstrate fabrication of flexible SERS-active nanostructured substrates based on soft-lithography for simple, low-cost processing. The SERS-active nanostructured substrates are fabricated using conventional Si fabrication process and inkjet printing methods. A Si mold is patterned by photolithography with an average height of 700 nm and an average pitch of 200 nm. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a mixture of Sylgard 184 elastomer and curing agnet (wt/wt = 10:1), is poured onto the mold that is coated with trichlorosilane for separating the PDMS easily from the mold. Then, the nano-pattern is transferred to the thin PDMS substrates. The soft lithographic methods enable the SERS-active nanostructured substrates to be repeatedly replicated. Silver layer is physically deposited on the PDMS. Then, gold nanoparticle (AuNP) inks are applied on the nanostructured PDMS using inkjet printer (Dimatix DMP 2831) to deposit AuNPs on the substrates. The characteristics of SERS-active substrates are measured; topology is provided by atomic force microscope (AFM, Park Systems XE-100) and Raman spectra are collected by Raman spectroscopy (Horiba LabRAM ARAMIS Spectrometer). We anticipate that the results may open up various possibilities of applying flexible platform to highly sensitive Raman detection.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.113-122
• /
• 2020

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is a multifaceted surface sensitive methodology which exploits spectroscopy-based analysis for various applications. This technique is based on the massive amplification of Raman signals which were feeble previously in order to use them for appropriate identification at qualitative and quantitative in chemical as well as biological systems. This novel powerful technique can be utilized to identify pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. As far as SERS is concerned, one of the most studied problems has been functionalization of SERS active substrate. Metal colloids and nanostructures or microstructures synthesized using noble metals such as Au, Ag and Cu are considered to be SERS active. Silver and gold are extensively used as SERS active substrates due to chemical inertness and stability in air compare to copper. However, use of Cu as a suitable alternative has been taken into account as it is cheap. Herein, we have synthesized air-stable copper microstructures/nanostructures by chemical, electrochemical and microwave-assisted methods. In this paper, we have also discussed the use of as synthesized copper micro/nanostructures as inexpensive yet effective SERS active substrates for the fast identification of micro-organisms like Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.417-426
• /
• 2022

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the chemicals used in monomer epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method is precise for identifying biological materials and chemicals at considerably low concentrations. In the present article, the substrates coated with gold nanoparticles have been studied to identify BPA and control the diseases caused by this chemical. Gold nanoparticles were made by a simple chemical method and by applying gold salt and trisodium citrate dihydrate reductant and were coated on glass substrates by a spin-coat approach. Finally, using these SERS substrates as plasmonic sensors and Raman spectroscopy, the Raman signal enhancement of molecular vibrations of BPA was investigated. Then, the molecular vibrations of BPA in some consumer goods were identified by applying SERS substrates as plasmonic sensors and Raman spectroscopy. The fabricated gold nanoparticles are spherical and quasi-spherical nanoparticles that confirm the formation of gold nanoparticles by observing the plasmon resonance peak at 517 nm. Active SERS substrates have been coated with nanoparticles, which improve the Raman signal. The enhancement of the Raman signal is due to the resonance of the surface plasmons of the nanoparticles. Active SERS substrates, gold nanoparticles deposited on a glass substrate, were fabricated for the detection of BPA; a detection limit of 10-9 M and a relative standard deviation (RSD) equal to 4.17% were obtained for ten repeated measurements in the concentration of 10-9 M. Hence, the Raman results indicate that the active SERS substrates, gold nanoparticles for the detection of BPA along with the developed methods, show promising results for SERS-based studies and can lead to the development of microsensors. In Raman spectroscopy, SERS active substrate coated with gold nanoparticles are of interest, which is larger than gold particles due to the resonance of the surface plasmons of gold nanoparticles and the scattering of light from gold particles since the Raman signal amplifies the molecular vibrations of BPA. By decreasing the concentration of BPA deposited on the active SERS substrates, the Raman signal is also weakened due to the reduction of molecular vibrations. By increasing the surface roughness of the active SERS substrates, the Raman signal can be enhanced due to increased light scattering from rough centers, which are the same as the larger particles created throughout the deposition by the spin-coat method, and as a result, they enhance the signal by increasing the scattering of light. Then, the molecular vibrations of BPA were identified in some consumer goods by SERS substrates as plasmonic sensors and Raman spectroscopy.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.743-748
• /
• 2014

In this work, we describe a very simple electroless deposition method to prepare moderate-SERS-active nanostructured Pd films deposited on the glass substrates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the one-pot electroless method to deposit Pd nanostructures on the glass substrates. This method only requires the incubation of negatively charged glass substrates in ethanol-water mixture solutions of $Pd(NO_3)_2$ and butylamine at elevated temperatures. Pd films are then formed exclusively and evenly on glass substrates. Due to the aggregated structures of Pd, the SERS spectra of benzenethiol and organic isonitrile could be clearly identified using the Pd-coated glass as a SERS substrate. This one-step fabrication method of Pd thin film on glass is cost-effective and suitable for the mass production.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.24 no.11
• /
• pp.1599-1604
• /
• 2003

New methods were developed to prepare silver-doped sol-gel films for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. First, silver ions were doped into a sol-gel matrix. The doped silver ions were reduced into corresponding silver metal particles by two reductive procedures; chemical reduction and thermal reduction. The SERS spectra of benzoic acid were used to demonstrate the SERS effect of the new substrates. The adsorption strength of benzoic acid adsorbed on differently reduced substrates was discussed. The possible adsorption form and the orientation of adsorbate were also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.46-51
• /
• 2013

In order to monitor in situ electrochemical reaction we prepared the gold microshells on silica microspheres of $2{\mu}m$ in diameter which were able to not only work as electrodes but also surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates. Previously reported gold microshell using polystyrene as core material have a few serious problems, mostly coming from solubility in organic solvent, nonuniform distribution in size and toxicity of the polystyrene. Here we prepared silica core-gold microshell to obtain a strong SERS active platform benefitting from the physicochemical stability, uniformity and non-toxicity of silica. Varying the concentration of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES), the surfaces of silica beads were modified and the optimal condition was determined to be 1% APTES that made the SERS activity of gold microshell strongest. The gold microshells as made were characterized by homemade Micro-Raman system spectrometer, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.111-124
• /
• 2013

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect deals with the enhancement of the Raman scattering intensity by molecules in the presence of a nanostructured metallic surface. The first observation of surface-enhanced Raman spectra was in 1974, when Fleischmann and his group at the University of Southampton, reported the first high-quality Raman spectra of monolayer-adsorbed pyridine on an electrochemically roughened Ag electrode surface. Over the last thirty years, it has developed into a versatile spectroscopic and analytical technique due to the rapid and explosive progress of nanoscience and nanotechnology. This review article describes the recent development in field of surface-enhanced Raman scattering research, especially fabrication of various SERS active substrates, mechanism of SERS effect and its various applications in both surface sciences and analytical sciences.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.57 no.5
• /
• pp.618-624
• /
• 2013

We demonstrated unique inter- and intra-plasmonic coupling effects in bimetallic Au@Ag core-shell NP arrays which are regularly or randomly arranged on self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) inverse micelle monolayers. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilized Au@Ag core-shell NP arrays in regular or disordered configuration were incorporated and assembled on reconstructed PS-b-P4VP inverse micelle templates through two types of processes. The intensively enhanced LSPR coupling properties of individual and assembled Au@Ag NPs were evaluated by UV-visible spectroscopy in terms of the type of ligand stabilizer, coupling between Au and Ag, thickness of Ag shell, and type of array configuration. Finally, Au@Ag core-shell NP arrays were employed as active substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and a significantly enhanced signal enhancement was observed in accordance with the coupling intensity of Au@Ag NPs patterns.