Quantitative Comparison of Raman Activities, SERS Activities, and SERS Enhancement Factors of Organothiols: Implication to Chemical Enhancement

    Authors

    S. M. Ansar; X. X. Li; S. L. Zou;D. M. Zhang

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Phys. Chem. Lett.

    Keywords

    HOT-SPOTS; SURFACE; SPECTROSCOPY; SCATTERING; SILVER; NANOPARTICLES; MONOLAYERS; DNA; Chemistry, Physical; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology; Materials Science, ; Multidisciplinary; Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical

    Abstract

    Studying the correlation between the molecular structures of SERS-active analytes and their SERS enhancement factors is important to our fundamental understanding of SERS chemical enhancement. Using a common internal reference method, we quantitatively compared the Raman activities, SERS. activities, and SEAS enhancement factors for a series of organothiols that differ significantly in their structural characteristics and reported chemical enhancements. We find that while the tested molecules vary tremendously in their normal Raman and SERS activities (by more than 4 orders of magnitude), their SERS enhancement factors are very similar (the largest difference is less than 1 order of magnitude). This result strongly suggests that SERS chemical enhancement factors are not as diverse as initially believed. In addition to shedding critical insight on the SERS phenomena, the common internal reference method developed in this work provides a simple and reliable way for systematic investigation of the correlation between molecular structures and their normal Raman and SERS activities. SECTION: Nanoparticles and Nanostructures

    Journal Title

    Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

    Volume

    3

    Issue/Number

    5

    Publication Date

    1-1-2012

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    560

    Last Page

    565

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000301033100001

    ISSN

    1948-7185

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