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Novel method to determine the actual surface area of a laser-nanotextured sensor

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Abstract

The actual surface area of a gold-coated conductive layer over the laser nano-textured surface of sapphire is determined using an electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. The method is down scaled to measure the sensing surface area of 200 × 200 μm2 on a laser-ablated ripple sensor used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy/scattering (SERS). Ripple SERS sensors made on different substrates of high refractive index materials such as GaP, diamond, SiC, and Al2O3 make a versatile sensing platform with the detection of analyte (here a thiophenol) down to 10 nM concentrations. Direct measurement of the surface area provides a powerful tool to investigate roughness, porosity, and morphology of coatings used for SERS or other light harvesting surfaces such as solar cells. Novelty of the proposed method is in the use of cathodic peak of surface passivation–activation cycle for calculation of surface charge. The method enables high-accuracy surface area measurements from as small as 0.01 mm2 pads up to functional solar cells.

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Acknowledgments

Support via Australian Research Council DP120102980 grant and a collaborative project with Altechna Ltd. are gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful to Kestutis Juodkazis for the guidance through setting up electrochemical experimental and surface charge determination and to Paul R. Stoddart for access to Raman microscope and discussions. RB made and characterized samples and carried out electrochemical measurements together with FN, JJ developed methodology of electrochemical measurements, SJ initiated the study. All the authors contributed to writing and editing of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, Centre for Micro-Photonics and The Australian National Fabrication Facility, ANFF, Victoria node, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia

    Ričardas Buividas, Narges Fahim & Saulius Juodkazis

  2. Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemistry, A. Goštauto 9, LT-01108, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Jurga Juodkazytė

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  1. Ričardas Buividas
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  2. Narges Fahim
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  3. Jurga Juodkazytė
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  4. Saulius Juodkazis
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Correspondence to Ričardas Buividas.

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Buividas, R., Fahim, N., Juodkazytė, J. et al. Novel method to determine the actual surface area of a laser-nanotextured sensor. Appl. Phys. A 114, 169–175 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8129-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8129-x

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