Highly efficient nanoplasmonic SERS on cardboard packaging substrates

• Published in: Nanotechnology 2014-10, Vol.25 (41), p.415202-415202
• Main Authors: Araújo, Andreia, Caro, Carlos, Mendes, Manuel J, Nunes, Daniela, Fortunato, Elvira, Franco, Ricardo, Águas, Hugo, Martins, Rodrigo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardboard; Collective excitations (including excitons, polarons, plasmons and other charge-density excitations); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric fields; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Materials science; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Packaging; Physics; Plasmonics; Raman spectroscopy; SERS substrates; Silver; silver nanoparticles; Surface and interface electron states; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
• ISSN: 0957-4484; 1361-6528
• DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/25/41/415202

This work reports on highly efficient surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) constructed on low-cost, fully recyclable and highly reproducible cardboard plates, which are commonly used as disposable packaging material. The active optical component is based on plasmonic silver nanoparticle structures separated from the metal surface of the cardboard by a nanoscale dielectric gap. The SERS response of the silver (Ag) nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes were systematically investigated, and a Raman enhancement factor higher than 106 for rhodamine 6G detection was achieved. The spectral matching of the plasmonic resonance for maximum Raman enhancement with the optimal local electric field enhancement produced by 60 nm-sized Ag NPs predicted by the electromagnetic simulations reinforces the outstanding results achieved. Furthermore, the nanoplasmonic SERS substrate exhibited high reproducibility and stability. The SERS signals showed that the intensity variation was less than 5%, and the SERS performance could be maintained for up to at least 6 months.