A reusable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate prepared by atomic layer deposition of alumina on a multi-layer gold and silver film

Shannon M. Mahurin, Joshy John, Michael J. Sepaniak, Sheng Dai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

A thermally stable, reusable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate consisting of a gold/silver bi-layer film with a protective alumina coating is reported. The film is synthesized by thermally evaporating sequential layers of gold and silver followed by coating an ultra-thin alumina layer using atomic layer deposition. The use of gold as the foundational layer improves the thermal stability of the metal bi-layer film while providing the additional ability to tune the SERS response. Deposition of the thin alumina overlayer on the bi-layer film creates a SERS substrate capable of enduring multiple high-temperature exposures to 400 °C with minimal loss of enhancement capabilities. We demonstrate the multi-use capability of the substrate by measuring the SERS spectrum of rhodamine 6G followed by a thermal treatment at 400 °C to remove the analyte. A representative substrate was used to acquire SERS spectra of rhodamine 6G up to five repeat measurements, thus establishing the reusability of this relatively simple, inexpensive, and stable substrate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)417-422
Number of pages6
JournalApplied Spectroscopy
Volume65
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2011

Keywords

  • Atomic layer deposition
  • Reusable substrates
  • SERS
  • Surface-enhanced raman scattering

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