title: Gold coatings on polymer laser induced periodic surface structures: assessment as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
abstract: We report on the fabrication of gold coated nanostructured polymer thin films and on their characterization as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were obtained on thin polymer films of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) upon laser irradiation with the fourth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser (266 nm, pulse duration 6 ns) resulting in a period close to the incident wavelength. The nanostructured polymer substrates were coated with a nanoparticle assembled gold layer by pulsed laser deposition using the fifth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser (213 nm, pulse duration 15 ns). Different deposition times resulted in thicknesses from a few nanometres up to several tens of nanometres. Analysis by atomic force microscopy and grazing incident small angle X-ray scattering showed that gold coating preserved the LIPSS relief. The capabilities of the produced nanostructures as substrates for SERS have been investigated using benzenethiol as a test molecule. The SERS signal is substantially larger than that observed for a gold-coated flat substrate. Advantages of this new type of SERS substrates are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, IQFR-CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain. e.rebollar@iqfr.csic.es
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rebollar
authors.forename: Mikel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martín-Fabiani
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Rueda
authors.forename: Tiberio A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ezquerra
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domingo
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castillejo
mesh_terms: D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D007834:Lasers; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; C498323:poly(trimethylene terephthalate); D006046:Gold