Plasmonic Au loaded semiconductor-engineered large-scale metallic nanostructure arrays for SERS application

Abstract

The need for a highly-sensitive and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate is the key factor restricting its practical applicability. In this work, we report on a periodic three-dimensional (3D) metallic nanostructure array, referred to as MeNTA fabricated using processes developed for large-scale semiconductor engineering. Specifically, MeNTAs were fabricated using Zr-based (Zr60Cu24Al11Ni5) metallic glass, which provides high strength, high ductility, and good biocompatibility. Over this was deposited a uniform coating of gold nanoparticles (NPs) to form a high-sensitivity AuNP@MeNTAs 3D-SERS substrate. Using crystal violet as a probe molecule, the performance of an AuNP@MeNTA 3D-SERS substrate provided a minimum detection limit of 10−13 M with an enhancement factor of 1.49 × 108, thereby demonstrating its high sensitivity. The minimum relative standard deviation (RSD) for the AuNP@MeNTA substrate was 5.45%, and SERS performance did not degrade within 14 days after installation, thereby demonstrating high stability and repeatability. This research provides useful guidelines for the low-cost fabrication of SERS substrates of high sensitivity.