title: Surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active Au/SiO2 nanocomposites prepared using sonoelectrochemical pulse deposition methods.
abstract: For improving signals, reproducibility, and stabilities of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), numerous technologies have recently been reported in the literature. However, the fabrication processes are usually complicated. It is well-known that nanoparticles (NPs) of Au and SiO(2) are SERS active and inactive materials, respectively. In this work, a simple synthesis route based on sonoelectrochemical pulse deposition (SEPD) methods has been developed to synthesize effectively SERS-active Au/SiO(2) nanocomposites (NCs) with an enhancement factor of 5.4 × 10(8). Experimental results indicate that pH value of solution and addition of SiO(2) NPs before and after oxidation-reduction cycles (ORCs) can significantly influence the corresponding SERS activities. Encouragingly, the SERS of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on the developed Au/SiO(2) NCs exhibits a higher intensity by more than 1 order of magnitude, as compared with that of R6G adsorbed on Au NPs synthesized using the same method. Moreover, this improved SERS activity is successfully verified from the mechanisms of electromagnetic (EM) and chemical (CHEM) enhancements.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, No. 250, Wu-Hsing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Chao
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kuang-Hsuan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu-Chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ting-Chu
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Fu-Der
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Mai