title: Guiding molecules with electrostatic forces in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: In surface enhanced raman scattering (SERS) the problem of drawing molecules to the places where surface plasmon resonance enhancements will produce signals is one of the most basic ones, and the initial obstacle to every application of the effect. We explore the possibility of using electrostatic forces as a means to "guide" charged molecules in solution toward SERS active substrates. We also show explicitly the possibility of selectively enhancing different types of dyes according to their charge, and we discuss briefly possible extensions for other applications where "electrostatic guiding" could be an option.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona-CSIC, Esfera UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Lacharmoise
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Le Ru
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Etchegoin
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D055672:Static Electricity; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008670:Metals; D010100:Oxygen