A three-dimensional surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate: Au nanoparticle supramolecular self-assembly in anodic aluminum oxide template

摘要

A three-dimensional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate via the self-assembly of properly sized Au nanoparticles in anodic aluminum oxide templates was designed and prepared. Au nanoparticles first underwent hydrophobic surface modification. Then, the hydrophobic Au nanoparticles self-assembled, aggregated and formed many hot spots in the anodic aluminum oxide templates through a supramolecular interaction. We chose thiophenol as a probe molecule to evaluate the SERS enhancement ability of this three-dimensional substrate. The enhancement factor was calculated to be 4.6 × 10 ~6 under the radiation of a 785-nm laser. By further comparing SERS signals from different points on the same substrate, we confirmed that this substrate possessed good reproducibility and could be applied for SERS detection.