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Preparation and characterization by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy of silver nanoparticles formed on germanium substrates by electroless displacement

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Abstract

In this paper, the feasibility of applying electroless displacement to prepare silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of germanium (Ge) substrate is demonstrated, and the performances of surfaces prepared in this manner for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy are reported. The process used to produce suitable AgNPs for SEIRA by electroless deposition is simple and effective, requiring only pretreatment of the germanium surface with hot air, immersion of the substrate in a dilute solution of silver nitrate, and washing of the resulting plate. To quantify the behavior of AgNPs on a Ge substrate and to optimize the conditions for the preparation of AgNPs on Ge substrates, a monolayer of p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP) was bonded to the surface of the AgNPs by immersion of the plate in a dilute solution of PNTP and measurement of the transmission spectrum. The factors that influenced the formation of AgNPs, and hence the SEIRA signals, included the concentration of AgNO3, the reaction time and the temperature. Results indicated that stronger absorption bands in the SEIRA spectrum of a monolayer of PNTP were obtained if the reaction rate for the displacement of silver ions by Ge was slow. This condition was achieved by keeping the concentration of AgNO3 and the reaction temperature low. Under the optimal conditions found in this work, an enhancement factor of approximately 100 was achieved for commonly used probe molecules in SEIRA measurements.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors thanks the National Science Council of the Republic of China for supporting this work financially under Contract No. NSC94-2113-M-005-020. The other author (PRG) thanks the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for a fellowship during which this manuscript was prepared and Honeywell Corporation for partial support of this project. The purchase of the scanning electron microscope used in this project was supported through a grant from the Murdock Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan

    Jyisy Yang

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-2343, USA

    Peter R. Griffiths

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  1. Jyisy Yang
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  2. Peter R. Griffiths
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Correspondence to Jyisy Yang.

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Yang, J., Griffiths, P.R. Preparation and characterization by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy of silver nanoparticles formed on germanium substrates by electroless displacement. Anal Bioanal Chem 388, 109–119 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-1109-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-1109-7

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