Abstract
Oxygen vacancy (Vo) engineering is a powerful tool to improve semiconductor metal oxide-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity due to the enriched surface states of substrates. However, the current energy-consuming high-temperature hydrogen reduction methods of introducing Vo and the poor sensitivity impede practical applications of semiconductor SERS. In this work, a facile solvothermal method was developed to prepare ultrafine WO3–x nanorods (∼3 nm width) for high-performance SERS substrates. The lowest detection limit of the rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecule on the Vo substrate can be as low as 10–10 mol/L and exceeds that of unmodified WO3 by more than two orders of magnitude. Experimental and calculated results suggest that the Vo-induced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), diverse vibronic coupling, and enhanced charge transfer synergistically account for this outstanding activity. These findings can provide insights into the rational design of oxygen vacancy-tailored semiconductor SERS substrates.
Published Version
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