Edge-engineered self-assembled hierarchical plasmonic SERS templates

• Published in: Applied surface science advances 2021-12, Vol.6, p.100186, Article 100186
• Main Authors: Pliatsikas, N., Kalfagiannis, N., Arvanitidis, J., Christofilos, D., Koutsogeorgis, D.C., Kagkoura, A., Sefiane, K., Koutsos, V., Patsalas, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Laser annealing; Plasmonic nanostructures; Self-assembled nanostructures; Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS); Wettability
• ISSN: 2666-5239; 2666-5239
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsadv.2021.100186

•Fast, scalable and cost-effective production of SERS templates with a hierarchical plasmonic structure.•The laser-processed Ag nanostructures were utilized as SERS templates via drop-casting of Rhodamine 6G.•The plasmonic performance and the hydrophobicity of the produced SERS templates are very sensitive to the laser annealing conditions.•Edges created by the patterned laser spot used for laser annealing have a notable influence on the SERS signal.•Combination of micron-scale accumulation edges and nano-scale hot spots, the SERS performance can be improved two orders of magnitude. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as a reliable and ultra-sensitive sensing technique used in analytical diagnostics, forensics, and biomedical applications. Although SERS may be sensitive enough to detect single molecules, such extreme performance is achieved with sophisticated and complex nanostructure designs that are hard to implement on an industrial scale. This work presents an understanding of the plasmonic and wetting phenomena taking place on Ag nanoparticles (supported on Si) produced by laser annealing and dewetting of sputtered ultra-thin layers enabling the fast (