Effect of gold nanostructures geometry on the enhancement of the Raman scattering

Author(s)

Daniel Cardoso Rodrigues

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ)
• Defense date: 2013-02-19

Examining board members

Marcia Laudelina Arruda Temperini; Alexandre Guimaraes Brolo; Antonio Carlos Sant\'Ana

• Advisor: Marcia Laudelina Arruda Temperini

Abstract

The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an important analytical tool on the detection of probe-molecules, therefore the search for new SERS substrates which show higher enhancements and spatial reproducibility is one of the main research topics on Raman spectroscopy. In this master thesis Au nanotubes (AuNT) were obtained through the sputtering onto a commercial polycarbonate porous membrane (PCM) with pore diameters of 50, 100, 200 e 400 nm. It was found an exponential growth on the values of the enhancement factor (EF) with the increase of the pore diameter due to an increasing presence of coalesced AuNTs, acting as hot-spots. The average values for EF vary between 2.3×103 and 1.2×105, with maximum value of 2.5×105. Gold nanotubes and nanowires (AuNF) were obtained through the electrodeposition of Au on the same PCMs by using two different current densities (j): 1.000 and 0.100 mA.cm-2. On the smaller pore diameters there were obtained AuNFs for j = 1.000 mA.cm-2 and AuNTs for j = 0.100 mA.cm-2, which the former had shown EF on average 10 times larger the AuNTs with the same diameter. AuNTs were obtained on the larger pore diameters independently of j and having similar values for EF. The average values for EF varied between 2.6×103 and 6.6×105, with maximum value of 1.5×106. The same exponential growth observed for the sputtered AuNTs was observed in these substrates, due to the increase on the quantity of coalesced nanostructures. On average its values for EF are ca. 10 times larger than those obtained for the sputtered substrates. All sputtered and electrodeposited substrates had their surface plasmon resonances characterized by means of UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. Substrates typically used on SERS spectroscopy were synthetized and used as reference: Au nanospheres (AuNS), roughened Au electrode (AuEle) and the commercial substrate Klarite®. Through employing methodologies for the EF calculation which take into account the geometry of each system it was possible to do a direct comparison among all types of substrates. Revealing an higher performance of the sputtered and/or electrodeposited AuNTs/AuNFs when compared to the three substrates above in terms of both magnitude and spatial reproducibility on the calculated values of EF. Finally, it was studied the variation on the frequency and full width at half maximum of the band assigned to the VCC,ring breathing mode of the 4-mercaptopyridine probe-molecule. It was found that the presence of residual polycarbonate on the AuNTs surroundings locally alters the pH through the modification of the double-layer potential. This leads to the displacement of the N-protonation and/or tautomeric equilibria of the 4-mercaptopyridine in different degrees over the substrate surface. In agreement with the absence of these equilibria displacements on the substrates used as reference: AuNS, AuEle and Klarite®, where the polycarbonate is not present. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/03810-5 - The role of composition and geometry of nanostructures on the enhancement of the Raman scattering
• Grantee: Daniel Cardoso Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master