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Nanostructure, solvation dynamics, and nanotemplating of plasmonically active SERS substrate in reverse vesicles

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Abstract

Reverse vesicles (RVs) are the organic counterparts to vesicles and are spherical containers in oils consisting of an oily core surrounded by reverse bilayers with water layers present in between. We present here a facile route for forming stable RV from nontoxic surfactants and oil components. The RV formation is characterized by dynamic light scattering and further confirmed by transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The water channels present in between the bilayers are found to be a potential template for inorganic nanoparticles’ (NPs) synthesis. Both the UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and the TEM study reveal successful formation of highly clustered silver NPs within the water layers of the RVs. X-ray powder diffraction analyzes the crystalline nature of the NPs. FTIR spectroscopy shows the signature of different kinds of water molecules in between the RV bilayers. The dynamical description of the templating water, dictating the controlled formation of the NPs in the RV, is well revealed in the picosecond-resolved solvation dynamics study of a hydrophilic fluorescence probe 2′-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-[5-(4-methylpiperazine-1-yl)-benzimidazo-2-yl-benzimidazole] (H258). The rotational anisotropy study successfully describes geometrical restriction of the probe molecule in the RV. Notably, this study provides the first proof-of-concept data for the ability of the RV to be a template of synthesizing metal NPs. The as-prepared NP clusters are evaluated to be potential surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate in solution using crystal violet as a model analyte. The present study offers a new RV, which is a prospective nontoxic nanotemplate and is believed to contribute potentially in the emerging NP-vesicle hybrid assembly-based plasmonic applications.

Graphical abstract

Nanotemplating of metal clusters for the efficient SERS detection in liquid phase is reported in a new nontoxic reverse vesicle.

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Acknowledgments

SR thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for a fellowship. We thank the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, for the financial support (No. DST/TM/SERI/2k11/103).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical, Biological & Macromolecular Sciences, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector III, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700098, India

    Ranajay Saha, Surajit Rakshit, Rajib Kumar Mitra & Samir Kumar Pal

  2. Department of Physics, Bose Institute, 93/1, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata, 700 009, India

    Dipanwita Majumdar & Achintya Singha

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  1. Ranajay Saha
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  2. Surajit Rakshit
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  3. Dipanwita Majumdar
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  6. Samir Kumar Pal
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Correspondence to Samir Kumar Pal.

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Saha, R., Rakshit, S., Majumdar, D. et al. Nanostructure, solvation dynamics, and nanotemplating of plasmonically active SERS substrate in reverse vesicles. J Nanopart Res 15, 1576 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1576-7

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