Reproducible and recyclable SERS substrates : Flower-like Ag structures with concave surfaces formed by electrodeposition

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

33 Scopus Citations
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Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)126-133
Journal / PublicationApplied Surface Science
Volume333
Online published7 Feb 2015
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015

Abstract

Direct synthesis of three-dimensional Ag structures on solid substrates for the purposes of producing reproducible and recyclable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications remains challenging. In this work, flower-like Ag structures with concave surfaces (FACS) were successfully electrodeposited onto ITO glass using the double-potentiostatic method. The FACS, with an enhancement factor of the order of 108, exhibited a SERS signal intensity 3.3 times stronger than that measured from Ag nanostructures without concave surfaces. A cleaning procedure involving lengthy immersion of the sample in ethanol and KNO3 was proposed to recycle the substrate and confirmed by using rhodamine 6G, adenine, and 4-aminothiophenol as target molecules. The findings can help to advance the practical applications of Ag nanostructure-based SERS substrates.

Research Area(s)

  • Ag, Concave surface, Recyclable, Reproducible, SERS