title: Tuning interior nanogaps of double-shelled Au/Ag nanoboxes for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
abstract: Double-shelled Au/Ag hollow nanoboxes with precisely controlled interior nanogaps (1 to 16 nm) were synthesized for gap-tunable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The double-shelled nanoboxes were prepared via a two-step galvanic replacement reaction approach using Ag nanocubes as the templates, while 4-aminothiolphenol (4-ATP) as SERS probe molecules were loaded between the two shells. More than 10-fold enhancement of SERS is observed from the double-shelled nanoboxes than Ag nanocubes. In addition, the SERS of the double-shelled nanoboxes increase significantly with the decrease of gap size, consistent with the theoretical prediction that smaller gap size induces larger localized electromagnetic enhancement.
authors: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585.
authors: Weiqing
authors: W
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576.
authors: Mohsen
authors: M
authors: Rahmani
authors: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585.
authors: Wenxin
authors: W
authors: Niu
authors: Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
authors: Serge
authors: S
authors: Ravaine
authors: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576.
authors: Minghui
authors: M
authors: Hong
authors: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585.
authors: Xianmao
authors: X
authors: Lu