title: Enhanced Self-Organized Dewetting of Ultrathin Polymer Blend Film for Large-Area Fabrication of SERS Substrate.
abstract: We study the enhanced dewetting of ultrathin Polystyrene (PS)/Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend films in a mixed solution, and reveal the dewetting can act as a simple and effective method to fabricate large-area surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. A bilayer structure consisting of under PMMA layer and upper PS layer forms due to vertical phase separation of immiscible PS/PMMA during the spin-coating process. The thicker layer of the bilayer structure dominates the dewetting structures of PS/PMMA blend films. The diameter and diameter distribution of droplets, and the average separation spacing between the droplets can be precisely controlled via the change of blend ratio and film thickness. The dewetting structure of 8 nm PS/PMMA (1:1 wt%) blend film is proved to successfully fabricate large-area (3.5 cm × 3.5 cm) universal SERS substrate via deposited a silver layer on the dewetting structure. The SERS substrate shows good SERS-signal reproducibility (RSD < 7.2%) and high enhancement factor (2.5 × 107). The enhanced dewetting of polymer blend films broadens the application of dewetting of polymer films, especially in the nanotechnology, and may open a new approach for the fabrication of large-area SERS substrate to promote the application of SERS substrate in the rapid sensitive detection of trace molecules.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.|Laboratory of Surface Physics and Chemistry, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Huanhuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Surface Physics and Chemistry, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yabo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xueyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tongfei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shi