Surface-enhanced Raman scattering enhancement factor distribution for nanoparticles of arbitrary shapes using surface integral equation method

摘要

Poggio-Miller-Chang-Harrington-Wu-Tsai (PMCHWT) surface integral equation method is applied for the first time to accurately estimate the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement factor distribution for arbitrary nanoparticles and nano-aggregates. It is the first time in literature that the distributions of SERS enhancement factors of nanoparticles of a large variety are reported. It is shown that not every SERS substrate exhibits a long-tail distribution as a dimer consisting of two spheres in close proximity. Generic methods are proposed to evaluate the performance of nanoparticles on SERS substrates. A cumulative distribution is proposed to examine the contributions of hot and warm spots around the nanoparticles. It is used to identify the importance of warm spots on a SERS substrate. A parameter q is proposed to describe the likelihood of a randomly positioned molecule that can be activated. This study provides guidance and insights for the optimization of SERS substrate fabrication techniques.