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ZnO nanowire arrays decorated with titanium nitride nanoparticles as surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates

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Abstract

In this work, the potential of ZnO nanowire arrays decorated with titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates is demonstrated. ZnO nanowires were grown by hydrothermal synthesis while commercially obtained TiN powders were subjected to several hours of mechanical grinding to achieve 30–100 nm diameter nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were then dispersed in acetone and drop cast on the ZnO nanowire arrays for decoration. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of TiN nanoparticles on the ZnO nanowires. TiN nanoparticles exhibited multiple absorption features at 430, 520 and 600 nm. SERS experiments using Nile blue and methylene blue as the analyte molecules exhibited enhancement in the Raman signals. It is shown that the origin of the SERS effect is chemical in nature, with contribution from different interactions between the analyte molecule and the TiN nanoparticles. The current work, thus, represents a simple, cost-effective and facile method for the fabrication of TiN-based SERS substrates.

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Acknowledgements

Y. Rajesh acknowledges a NFHE Ph.D. fellowship awarded by UGC. M.S.S. Bharati and S. Venugopal Rao acknowledge DRDO financial support through ACRHEM, University of Hyderabad. Center for Nanotechnology and School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, India are acknowledged for facilities. The support of DST-PURSE, UGC-DRS, UGC-NRC programmes is also acknowledged. S. Venugopal Rao acknowledges the University of Hyderabad for the IoE project [Ref. No. UOH/IOE/RC1/RC1-20-016]. The IoE scheme was sanctioned vide MHRD notification F11/9/2019-U3(A).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500046, India

    Yalambaku Rajesh & M. Ghanashyam Krishna

  2. Advanced Centre of Research in High Energy Materials (ACRHEM), University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500046, India

    M. S. S. Bharati & S. Venugopal Rao

  3. Centre for Advanced Studies in Electronic Sciences and Technology (CASEST), University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500046, India

    M. Ghanashyam Krishna

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  1. Yalambaku Rajesh
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Correspondence to M. Ghanashyam Krishna.

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Rajesh, Y., Bharati, M.S.S., Rao, S.V. et al. ZnO nanowire arrays decorated with titanium nitride nanoparticles as surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates. Appl. Phys. A 127, 270 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-021-04424-w

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