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Title: Dimensional scale effects on surface enhanced Raman scattering efficiency of self-assembled silver nanoparticle clusters

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4893373· OSTI ID:22310905
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  1. Dip. Fisica, Università Sapienza, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome (Italy)
  2. Dip. Scienze di Base Applicate all'Ingegneria, Università Sapienza, Via A. Scarpa, 16, 00185 Rome (Italy)
  3. Dip. Ingegneria Astronautica Elettrica ed Energetica, Università Sapienza, Via Eudossiana, 18, 00184 Rome (Italy)

A study of the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) from micrometric metallic nanoparticle aggregates is presented. The sample is obtained from the self-assembly on glass slides of micro-clusters of silver nanoparticles (60 and 100 nm diameter), functionalized with the organic molecule 4-aminothiophenol in water solution. For nanoparticle clusters at the micron scale, a maximum enhancement factor of 10{sup 9} is estimated from the SERS over the Raman intensity ratio normalized to the single molecule contribution. Atomic force microscopy, correlated to spatially resolved Raman measurements, allows highlighting the connection between morphology and efficiency of the plasmonic system. The correlation between geometric features and SERS response of the metallic structures reveals a linear trend of the cluster maximum scattered intensity as a function of the surface area of the aggregate. On given clusters, the intensity turns out to be also influenced by the number of stacking planes of the aggregate, thus suggesting a plasmonic waveguide effect. The linear dependence results weakened for the largest area clusters, suggesting 30 μm{sup 2} as the upper limit for exploiting the coherence over large scale of the plasmonic response.

OSTI ID:
22310905
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English