Surface-enhanced Raman scattering from individual au nanoparticles and nanoparticle dimer substrates

Isolating and probing the hot spot formed between two silver nanocubes

Out of the frying pan: Hot spots can greatly increase the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering, but they remain poorly understood. A new strategy based on plasma etching (see picture) can be used to isolate and exclusively probe the SERS-active molecules adsorbed in the hot-spot region between two silver nanocubes.

Fano profiles induced by near-field coupling in heterogeneous dimers of gold and silver nanoparticles

The near-field coupling between a gold and a silver spherical nanoparticle is investigated theoretically. Fano profiles are observed in the absorption cross section of the gold nanoparticle due to the coupling between the spectrally localized surface plasmon resonance of the silver nanoparticle and the continuum of interband transitions of the gold one. The effect of dimer internal characteristics (particle sizes and distance), surrounding medium (through the refractive index), and external excitation (polarization and propagation directions) are addressed. In particular, it is shown that the near-field coupling can be tuned from the weak to the strong regime by rotating the polarization direction, and that the Fano profiles are sensitive to the shadowing effect even for small particle sizes.

Self-organized silver nanoparticles for three-dimensional plasmonic crystals

Metal nanostructures that support surface plasmons are compelling as plasmonic circuit elements and as the building blocks for metamaterials. We demonstrate here the spontaneous self-assembly of shaped silver nanoparticles into three-dimensional plasmonic crystals that display a frequency-selective response in the visible wavelengths. Extensive long-range order mediated by exceptional colloid monodispersity gives rise to optical passbands that can be tuned by particle volume fraction. These metallic supercrystals present a new paradigm for the fabrication of plasmonic materials, delivering a functional, tunable, completely bottom-up optical element that can be constructed on a massively parallel scale without lithography.

Synthesis of a gold nanoparticle dimer plasmonic resonator through two-phase-mediated functionalization

We report that Au nanoparticles, ligand-exchanged with a thiol ligand at the liquid-liquid interface, were dimerized using an N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide-mediated amide bond formation. This dimerization of 60 nm sized Au nanoparticles achieved 24% overall yield and was visually confirmed by transmission electron microscopy as well as by scanning electron microscopy images. The resultant electromagnetic field enhancement of a single Au nanoparticle dimer was proven by dark field spectroscopy which, in turn, made the Au nanoparticle dimer suitable for molecular sensing applications, such as in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Our dimerization method demonstrated that the synthesis of Au nanoparticle dimers with a high yield and enhanced optical properties of the dimers were possible. Our methodology also has good prospects as regards the formation of nanoscale building blocks.

Raman enhancement of azobenzene monolayers on substrates prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition and electron-beam lithography techniques

Nanostructured metallic platforms for Raman enhancement were fabricated using Langmuir-Blodgett and electron beam (e-beam) lithography techniques. The gold platforms were inscribed on thin glass slides with the purpose of using them in a transmission geometry experimental setup under a confocal microscope. The plasmon frequency of the gold nanostructures was determined in the visible-near-infrared range for various pattern sizes prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett transfer and e-beam lithography. The surface Raman enhancement factors were determined for a monolayer of azobenzene molecules adsorbed on gold through thiol bonding and compared for both LB transfer and e-beam samples for nanostructures of comparable geometries.

Plexcitonic nanoparticles: plasmon-exciton coupling in nanoshell-J-aggregate complexes

Stable Au nanoshell-J-aggregate complexes are formed that exhibit coherent coupling between the localized plasmons of a nanoshell and the excitons of molecular J-aggregates adsorbed on its surface. By tuning the nanoshell plasmon energies across the exciton line of the J-aggregate, plasmon-exciton coupling energies for these complexes are obtained. The strength of this interaction is dependent on the specific plasmon mode of the nanoparticle coupled to the J-aggregate exciton. From a model based on Gans theory, we obtain an expression for the plasmon-exciton hybridized states of the complex.

Optical near-field mapping of plasmonic nanoprisms

The optical local-field enhancement on nanometer length scales provides the basis for plasmonic metal nanostructures to serve as molecular sensors and as nanophotonic devices. However, particle morphology and the associated surface plasmon resonance alone do not uniquely reflect the important details of the local field distribution. Here, we use interferometric homodyne tip-scattering near-field microscopy for plasmonic near-field imaging of crystalline triangular silver nanoprisms. Strong spatial field variation on lengths scales as short as 20 nm are observed sensitively depending on structural details and environment. The poles of the dipole and quadrupole plasmon modes, as identified by phase-sensitive probing and calculations performed in the discrete dipole approximation (DDA), reflect the particle symmetry. Together with the observation that the largest enhancement is not necessarily found to be associated with the tips of the nanoprisms, our results provide critical information for the selection of particle geometries as building blocks for plasmonic device applications.

Correlated Optical Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy of Individual Hollow Nanoparticles and their Dimers

The optical spectra of individual Ag-Au alloy hollow particles were correlated with the particles' structures obtained by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM provided direct experimental access to the dimension of the cavity, thickness of the metal shell, and the interparticle distance of hollow particle dimers with high spatial resolution. The analysis of correlated spectral and structural information enabled the quantification of the influence of the core-shell structure on the resonance energy, plasmon lifetime, and plasmon coupling efficiency. Electron beam exposure during TEM inspection was observed to affect plasmon wavelength and lifetime, making optical inspection prior to structural characterization mandatory.

Impact of the self-assembly of multilayer polyelectrolyte functionalized gold nanorods and its application to biosensing

Multilayered polyelectrolyte functionalized gold nanorods (GNRs) are reported for the conjugation of and sensitive detection of bio-molecules. Multilayered polyelectrolyte functionalized GNRs can significantly improve the biocompatibility of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) coated GNRs in a bio-environment and can diminish the toxicity induced by CTAB. Biotin, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-biotin and streptavidin are conjugated to polyelectrolyte functionalized GNRs, and the conjugates can serve as a platform for many biotin-streptavidin-based biological applications. Through the robust self-assembly effect of GNRs, biotin-conjugated GNRs are also utilized as a very sensitive probe for the detection of a small amount of streptavidin.

Near-field Raman imaging and electromagnetic field confinement in the self-assembled monolayer array of gold nanoparticles

Spatial distribution of surface enhanced Raman activity is visualized for two-dimensional (2D) nearly close-packed and well-ordered monolayer array of gold nanoparticles by using scanning near-field optical microscope. The 2D arrays exhibit highly nonuniform enhancement in Raman scattering, i.e., the regions along the edge of the 2D array are preferentially enhanced. We demonstrate that the spatial distribution of the localized electric field is also nonuniform and agrees well with that of the Raman enhancement.

Optical manipulation of micron/submicron sized particles and biomolecules through plasmonics

Plasmonics, a rapidly emerging subdiscipline of nanophotonics, is aimed at exploiting surface plasmons for important applications, including sensing, waveguiding, and imaging. Parallel to these research efforts, technology yielding enhanced scattering and absorption of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) provides promising routes for trapping and manipulation of micro and nano scale particles, as well as biomolecules with low laser intensity due to high energy conversion efficiency under resonant excitation. In this paper, we show that the LSP-induced scattering field from a self-assembled gold nanoparticle array can be used to sustain trapping of single micron-sized particles with low laser intensity. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time efficient localized concentration of sub-micron sized particles and DNAs of various sizes through photothermal effect of plasmonics.

Gas-phase ion-mobility characterization of SAM-functionalized Au nanoparticles

We present results of a systematic examination of functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) by electrospray-differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA). Commercially available, citrate-stabilized Au colloid solutions (10-60 nm) were sized using ES-DMA, from which changes in particle size of less than 0.3 nm were readily discerned. It was found that the formation of salt particles and the coating of Au-NPs by salt during the electrospray process can interfere with the mobility analysis, which required the development of sample preparation and data correction protocols to extract correct values for the Au-NP size. Formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiol molecules on the Au-NP surface was detected from a change in particle mobility, which could be modeled to extract the surface packing density of SAMs. A gas-phase temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) kinetic study of SAMs on Au-NPs found the data to be consistent with a second-order Arrhenius-based rate law, yielding an Arrhenius factor of 1.0 x 10 (11) s (-1) and an activation energy approximately 105 kJ/mol. For the size range of SAM-modified Au-NP we considered, the effect of surface curvature on the energetics of binding of carboxylic acid terminated SAMs is evidently negligible, with binding energies determined by TPD agreeing with those reported for the same SAMs on planar surfaces. This study suggests that the ES-DMA can be added to the tool set of characterization methods used to study the structure and properties of coated nanoparticles.

Enhancement at the junction of silver nanorods

The enhancement of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) at the junction of linearly joined silver nanorods (31 nm in diameter) deposited in the pores of anodic aluminum oxide templates was studied systematically by excitation with a 632.8 nm laser line. The single and joined silver nanorod arrays showed a similar extinction spectrum when their length was the same. Maximum enhancement was observed from the junction system of two nanorods of the same size with a total length of 62 nm. This length also corresponded to the optimum length of single nanorods for SERS by excitation with a 632.8 nm laser line. The enhancement at the junction was approximately 40 times higher than that of the 31 nm single nanorod, while it was 4 times higher than that of the 62 nm single nanorod. The enhancement factor at the junction after oxide removal was approximately 3.9 x 10 (9).

Optically controlled interparticle distance tuning and welding of single gold nanoparticle pairs by photochemical metal deposition

We report on the in-situ controlled tuning of the particle gap in single pairs of gold nanodisks by photochemical metal deposition. The optically induced growth of nanodisk dimers fabricated by electron beam lithography leads to a decrease of the interparticle gap width down to 0 nm. Due to the increasing particle size and stronger plasmonic coupling, a smooth redshift of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonances is observed in such particle pairs during the growth process. The interparticle gap width, and hence the LSP resonance, can be tuned to any desired spectral position. The experimental results we obtain with this nanoscale fabrication technique are well described by the so-called plasmon ruler equation. Consequently, both the changes in particle diameter as well as in gap width can be characterized in-situ via far-field read-out of the optical properties of the dimers.

Polarization dependence of surface-enhanced Raman scattering in gold nanoparticle-nanowire systems

We study the polarization dependence of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in coupled gold nanoparticle-nanowire systems. The coupling between the continuous nanowire plasmons and the localized nanoparticle plasmons results in significant field enhancements and SERS enhancements comparable to those found in nanoparticle dimer junctions. The SERS intensity is maximal when the incident light is polarized across the particle and the wire, and the enhancement is remarkably insensitive to the detailed geometrical structures of the nanoparticles.

Gold and magnetic oxide/gold core/shell nanoparticles as bio-functional nanoprobes

The ability to create bio-functional nanoprobes for the detection of biological reactivity is important for developing bioassay and diagnostic methods. This paper describes the findings of an investigation of the surface functionalization of gold (Au) and magnetic nanoparticles coated with gold shells (M/Au) by proteins and spectroscopic labels for the creation of nanoprobes for use in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assays. Highly monodispersed Au nanoparticles and M/Au nanoparticles with two types of magnetic nanoparticle cores (Fe(2)O(3) and MnZn ferrite) were studied as model systems for the bio-functionalization and Raman labeling. Comparison of the SERS intensities obtained with different particle sizes (30-100 nm) and samples in solution versus on solid substrates have revealed important information about the manipulation of the SERS signals. In contrast to the salt-induced uncontrollable and irreversible aggregation of nanoparticles, the ability to use a centrifugation method to control the formation of stable small clustering sizes of nanoparticles was shown to enhance SERS intensities for samples in solution as compared with samples on solid substrates. A simple method for labeling protein-capped Au nanoparticles with Raman-active molecules was also described. The functionalized Au and M/Au nanoparticles are shown to exhibit the desired functional properties for the detection of SERS signals in the magnetically separated reaction products. These results are discussed in terms of the interparticle distance dependence of 'hot-spot' SERS sites and the delineation of the parameters for controlling the core-shell reactivity of the magnetic functional nanocomposite materials in bio-separation and spectroscopic probing.

Rationally designed nanostructures for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Research on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an area of intense interest because the technique allows one to probe small collections of, and in certain cases, individual molecules using relatively straightforward spectroscopic techniques and nanostructured substrates. Researchers in this area have attempted to develop many new technological innovations including high sensitivity chemical and biological detection systems, labeling schemes for authentication and tracking purposes, and dual scanning-probe/spectroscopic techniques that simultaneously provide topographical and spectroscopic information about an underlying surface or nanostructure. However, progress has been hampered by the inability of researchers to fabricate substrates with the high sensitivity, tunability, robustness, and reproducibility necessary for truly practical and successful SERS-based systems. These limitations have been due in part to a relative lack of control over the nanoscale features of Raman substrates that are responsible for the enhancement. With the advent of nanotechnology, new approaches are being developed to overcome these issues and produce substrates with higher sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility. This tutorial review focuses on recent progress in the design and fabrication of substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, with an emphasis on the influence of nanotechnology.

Distance dependent spectral tuning of two coupled metal nanoparticles

The spectral properties of two spherical metallic nanoparticles of 80 nm in diameter are examined with regard to the interparticle distance and relative polarization of the excitation light. One Au nanoparticle is attached to a scanning fiber probe and the second to a scanning substrate. This configuration allows three-dimensional and arbitrary manipulation of both distance and relative orientation with respect to the incident light polarization. As supported by numerical simulations, a periodic modulation of the coupled plasmon resonance is observed for separations smaller than 1.5 microm. This interparticle coupling affects the scattering cross section in terms of spectral position and spectral width as well as the integral intensity of the Mie-scattered light.

Close encounters between two nanoshells

Plasmonic nanoparticle pairs known as "dimers" embody a simple system for generating intense nanoscale fields for surface enhanced spectroscopies and for developing an understanding of coupled plasmons. Individual nanoshell dimers in directly adjacent pairs and touching geometries show dramatically different plasmonic properties. At close distances, hybridized plasmon modes appear whose energies depend extremely sensitively on the presence of a small number of molecules in the interparticle junction. When touching, a new plasmon mode arising from charge transfer oscillations emerges. The extreme modification of the overall optical response due to minute changes in very reduced volumes opens up new approaches for ultrasensitive molecular sensing and spectroscopy.

Tailoring plasmonic substrates for surface enhanced spectroscopies

Our understanding of how the geometry of metallic nanostructures controls the properties of their surface plasmons, based on plasmon hybridization, is useful for developing high-performance substrates for surface enhanced spectroscopies. In this tutorial review, we outline the design of metallic nanostructures tailored specifically for providing electromagnetic enhancements for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The concepts developed for nanoshell-based substrates can be generalized to other nanoparticle geometries and scaled to other spectroscopies, such as surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRA).

A controlled and reproducible pathway to dye-tagged, encapsulated silver nanoparticles as substrates for SERS multiplexing

Silver nanoparticles tagged with dyes and encapsulated within a silica layer, offer a convenient potential substrate for performing multiplexed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis. In contrast to our earlier work with gold particles, aggregation of silver particles is found to be mostly independent of dye addition, allowing for a reproducible preparation in which aggregation is actively induced by the addition of NaCl. Separating the aggregation step eliminates competitive binding between the dyes and silica-coating reagents, enabling the efficient use of a wide variety of weakly binding dyes to conveniently generate robust, high-intensity SERS substrates at a variety of excitation frequencies.

Fluorescence enhancement in hot spots of AFM-designed gold nanoparticle sandwiches

We observe an enhancement of fluorescence from a single fluorescent sphere, which is sandwiched between two individual gold nanoparticles, forming a hot spot of strong field enhancement. The fluorescence enhancing hot spot is custom-designed by the deliberate assembly of gold nanoparticles with an atomic force microscope cantilever. The fluorescence intensity is monitored while the separation between the two gold nanoparticles is reduced by gradually pushing the gold nanoparticles closer to the fluorescent sphere. The fluorescence enhancement is maximal when the distance between the two gold nanoparticles is smallest, when the excitation polarization is parallel to the axis of the sandwich, and when the fluorescent sphere is positioned exactly on the axis connecting the two gold nanoparticles.

Mapping the plasmon resonances of metallic nanoantennas

We study the light scattering and surface plasmon resonances of Au nanorods that are commonly used as optical nanoantennas in analogy to dipole radio antennas for chemical and biodetection field-enhanced spectroscopies and scanned-probe microscopies. With the use of the boundary element method, we calculate the nanorod near-field and far-field response to show how the nanorod shape and dimensions determine its optical response. A full mapping of the size (length and radius) dependence for Au nanorods is obtained. The dipolar plasmon resonance wavelength lambda shows a nearly linear dependence on total rod length L out to the largest lengths that we study. However, L is always substantially less than lambda/2, indicating the difference between optical nanoantennas and long-wavelength traditional lambda/2 antennas. Although it is often assumed that the plasmon wavelength scales with the nanorod aspect ratio, we find that this scaling does not apply except in the extreme limit of very small, spherical nanoparticles. The plasmon response depends critically on both the rod length and radius. Large (500 nm) differences in resonance wavelength are found for structures with different sizes but with the same aspect ratio. In addition, the plasmon resonance deduced from the near-field enhancement can be significantly red-shifted due to retardation from the resonance in far-field scattering. Large differences in near-field and far-field response, together with the breakdown of the simple scaling law must be accounted for in the choice and design of metallic lambda/2 nanoantennas. We provide a general, practical map of the resonances for use in locating the desired response for gold nanoantennas.

Gold Nanoparticle Aggregate Morphology with Controllable Interparticle Spacing Prepared by a Polyelectrolyte Network Template

Gold nanoparticle self-assembly behaviour on a mica surface was investigated. A large-scale modified partially hydrated polyacrylamide network on a mica surface was successfully fabricated with a simple method. Gold nanoparticles were self-assembled onto a two-dimensional polymer network template by electrostatic interaction, and an interesting nanostructured gold morphology with controllable interparticle spacing was formed on the mica surface. By adjusting the gold aqueous concentrations, the particle distance could be optimized to approach strongest coupling between adjacent particles and match the plasmon resonance wavelength to the laser excitation wavelength. Thus, the spacing between nanoparticles could be controlled for tunable surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates for optimal signal amplification.

Assembly of gold nanoparticles mediated by multifunctional fullerenes

The understanding of the interparticle interactions of nanocomposite structures assembled using molecularly capped metal nanoparticles and macromolecular mediators as building blocks is essential for exploring the fine-tunable interparticle spatial and macromolecular properties. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the chemically tunable multifunctional interactions between fullerenes (1-(4-methyl)-piperazinyl fullerene, MPF) and gold nanoparticles. The interparticle spatial properties are defined by the macromolecular and multifunctional electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged nanoparticles and the positively charged fullerenes. In addition to characterization of the morphological properties, the surface plasmon resonance band, dynamic light scattering, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties of the MPF-mediated assembly and disassembly processes have been determined. The change of the optical properties depends on the pH and electrolyte concentrations. The detection of the Raman-active vibration modes (Ag(2) and Hg(8)) of C60 and the determination of their particle size dependence have demonstrated that the adsorption of MPF on the nanoparticle surface in the MPF-Au nm assembly is responsible for the SERS effect. These findings provide new insights into the delineation between the interparticle interactions and the nanostructural properties for potential applications of the nanocomposite materials in spectroscopic and optical sensors and in controlled releases.

Study of molecular junctions with a combined surface-enhanced Raman and mechanically controllable break junction method

We have developed a combined surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and break junction method to detect and characterize molecules between two microfabricated electrodes separated with a gap that can be continuously adjusted from a few angstroms to nanometers. It allows us to obtain a vibrational fingerprint of the adjustable molecular junction while performing electron transport measurements on the molecule simultaneously. This new approach will provide not only new insights into electron transport properties of molecule junctions on a chip but also the mechanism of single-molecule-SERS.

Moving nanoparticles with Raman scattering

We show how to change optically the distance between two protein-linked gold nanoparticles by Raman-induced motion of the linker protein. Rayleigh scattering spectroscopy of the coupled-particle plasmon allows us to compare the inter-nanoparticle distance of individual protein-linked gold nanoparticle dimers before and after surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We find that low-intensity (50 microW/microm2) laser light in resonance with the nanoparticle-dimer plasmon provokes a change of the inter-nanoparticle distance on the order of 0.5 nm whenever SERS from the proteins connecting the nanoparticles can be observed.

Plasmon hybridization in nanoshells with a nonconcentric core

We apply the plasmon hybridization method to a nanoshell with a nonconcentric (offset) core and investigate how the energy and excitation cross section of the plasmon modes depend on the offset distance D of the inner core from the nanoshell center. A two-center spherical coordinate system is used for mathematical convenience. It is shown that the presence of an offset core shifts the plasmon energies and makes higher multipolar nanoshell plasmons dipole active and visible in the optical spectrum. The dependence of the plasmon shifts on D is weak for small offsets but strong for large offsets. The polarization dependence of the optical absorption spectra is found to be relatively weak. The electromagnetic field enhancements are shown to be much larger than on a concentric nanoshell. The results agree very well with results from finite difference time domain simulations.

A Quantum Mechanical Theory for Single Molecule−Single Nanoparticle Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

Single molecule-single nanoparticle surface enhanced Raman scattering event is analyzed using a quantum mechanical approach, resulting in an analytical expression for the electromagnetic enhancement factor that succinctly elucidates the fundamental aspects of SERS. The nanoparticle is treated as a dielectric spherical cavity, and the resulting increase in the spontaneous emission rate of a molecule adsorbed onto the surface of the nanoparticle is examined. The overall enhancement in Raman scattering is due to both the increased local electromagnetic field and the Purcell effect. The predictions of the present model are in agreement with the simulation results of the classical model.

Particle plasmons of metal nanospheres: application of multiple scattering approach

In this paper, we study particle plasmons associated with a chain of metal nanospheres by the method of multiple scattering. The extinction efficiency is used to identify the resonant modes in nanoparticle chains. Special emphasis is placed upon the multipolar nature of particle plasmons at two major resonant modes by studying the associated field patterns, surface charges, and distributions of the field enhancement. Effects of the number of particles, interparticle spacing, and particle alignment are investigated by examining the frequency shift, bandwidth, and the number of resonant modes.