Size dependent SERS activity of Ag triangular nanoplates on different substrates: Glass vs paper

Abstract

Ag triangular nanoplates have been widely used as the SERS substrate due to their anisotropic morphology and sharp corners. In this work, SERS activity of Ag triangular nanoplates on glass and paper substrates was investigated with different concentration and size. A tiny triangular nuclei based synthesis method was employed to produce Ag triangular nanoplates with different size. And the extinction coefficients of Ag triangular nanoplates with different size were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). With definite concentration, Ag triangular nanoplates with small size showed stronger SERS intensity on glass substrate at high concentrations, while large Ag triangular nanoplates exhibited better SERS effect on paper substrate at low concentrations. The possible reasons for distinct SERS activity of Ag triangular nanoplates on glass and paper were discussed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization. These results exhibited important implications for fabricating Raman substrates using Ag triangular nanoplates and could be applied to the SERS sensing with flexile substrate.