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Hexagonally arranged arrays of urchin-like Ag hemispheres decorated with Ag nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates

Nano Research volume 8, pages 2261–2270 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

The surface topography of noble metal particles is a significant factor in tailoring surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties. Here, we present a simple fabrication route to hexagonally arranged arrays of surface-roughened urchinlike Ag hemispheres (Ag-HSs) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) for highly active and reproducible SERS substrates. The urchin-like Ag-HS arrays are achieved by sputtering Ag onto the top surface of a highly ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template to form ordered arrays of smooth Ag-HSs and then by electrodepositing Ag-NPs onto the surface of each Ag-HS. Owing to the ordered arrangement of the Ag-HSs and the improved surface roughness, the urchin-like hierarchical Ag-HS arrays can provide sufficient and uniform “hot spots” for reproducible and highly active SERS effects. Using the urchin-like Ag-HS arrays as SERS substrates, 10−7 M dibutyl phthalate (a member of plasticizers family) and 1.5 × 10−5 M PCB-77 (one congener of polychlorinated biphenyl, a notorious class of pollutants) are identified, showing promising potential for these substrates in the rapid recognition of organic pollutants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei, 230031, China

    Haibin Tang, Guowen Meng, Zhongbo Li, Chuhong Zhu, Zhulin Huang, Zhaoming Wang & Fadi Li

  2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Guowen Meng

Authors
  1. Haibin Tang
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  2. Guowen Meng
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  3. Zhongbo Li
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  4. Chuhong Zhu
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  5. Zhulin Huang
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  6. Zhaoming Wang
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  7. Fadi Li
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Correspondence to Guowen Meng.

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Tang, H., Meng, G., Li, Z. et al. Hexagonally arranged arrays of urchin-like Ag hemispheres decorated with Ag nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates. Nano Res. 8, 2261–2270 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0737-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0737-7

Keywords

  • Ag-hemisphere
  • urchin-like
  • surface roughness
  • polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)