Silver Nanoparticle Films Research Articles

Anodization parameters influence on anodic aluminum oxide formed above the silver island film

Optical properties of hybrid plasmonic thin film structure in the form of anodic alumina porous matrix above silver island film on the quartz substrate have been investigated. Silver nanoparticle film in the bottom of the structure has been obtained by physical vapor deposition in a vacuum chamber. The silver island film with the island of average diameter of 100 nm has been formed after annealing in the air atmosphere. Above the silver nanoparticle film an aluminum film has been deposited by the E-beam evaporation. As a result of one-step straight anodization, a nanoporous alumina thin film has been formed. The obtained structures were investigated, using spectroscopy and electron microscopy methods. The structure reflectance and optical density spectra have been obtained and analyzed for different anodization times and currents. To compare the results, the reflectance and optical density spectra have been obtained for silver nanoparticles and anodic alumina. When anodization times are increased, structure reflection coefficient spectra become more like the same characteristic for anodic aluminum oxide, which can be explained by film oxidation. At the same time a red shift of reflectance spectrums is observed in the structures with bigger maximum anodization currents. This effect has been observed in other works and can be explained by the increasing distance between the pores. A numerical modeling of optical properties with the help of Mie calculator for the structure with the nanoparticle size of 100 nm has shown that the results of the modeling can be compared to the experimentally obtained optical density spectra. The modeling was performed using spherical approximation. To obtain more precise results for alumina film thickness and nanoparticle optical properties, a silver nanoparticle form factor has to be considered. The results of this work can be used in sensors, optical coatings and photon sources fabrication methods. These can be used in screens, optical schemes and many other plasmonic devices.

Multifunctional Cellulosic Natural Rubber and Silver Nanoparticle Films with Superior Chemical Resistance and Antibacterial Properties.

Composite films of natural rubber/cellulose fiber/silver nanoparticle were synthesized in a green route via the latex solution process. Hybrid cellulose filler containing carboxymethyl cellulose and cellulose microfibers was used to facilitate facile and fast preparation and to improve mechanical strength to the composites, respectively. All the composites possessed a high tensile strength of ~120 MPa, a high heat resistance of nearly 300 °C, and more than 20% biodegradability in soil in two weeks. Chemical resistance and antibacterial activity of the composite was enhanced depending on sizes and concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The composites containing 0.033-0.1% w/w AgNPs retarded toluene uptake to less than 12% throughout 8 h, whereas the composite containing 0.067-0.1% w/w AgNPs exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In comparison, 50 nm-AgNPs presented higher antibacterial activities than 100 nm-AgNPs. In vitro cytotoxicity test assessed after incubation for 24 h and 48 h revealed that almost all AgNPs-composite films exhibited non/weak and moderate cytotoxicity, respectively, to HaCaT keratinocyte cells.

Preparation and investigation of electrical conductivity of silver nanoparticle films on the paper substrate

This paper reported the preparation of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) by the chemical protection-reduction method. This process was performed in an aqueous phase with a mixture consisting of silver nitrate (AgNO3), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), sodium borohydride (NaBH4), and hydrazine (H2N-NH2). The prepared Ag NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The TEM images indicated that Ag NPs had high purity with the size of 20‒50 nm. The Ag NPs solution strongly absorbed around 420 nm and displayed brown color under visible light. The stability of the Ag NPs solution was maintained after 60 days of storage. The conductivity of the Ag NPs solution depended on the initial concentration of AgNO3, HPMC content, type of reducing agent, pH environment, and also the order of using reducing agents in the prepared process. Next, the Ag NPs solution was coated to form a film on the paper substrate. The thickness of the obtained film was about 49.2 µm according to the analysis results from the Leica 2500 DM microscope and its conductivity was investigated by the four-point probe method. The film could conduct the electricity and light up LEDs when using a 9 V DC power source. The obtained results demonstrated that the prepared Ag NPs would have a potential application as conductive inks in electrical plastic devices.

Design and Fabrication of a Gas Sensor Based on a Polypyrrole/Silver Nanoparticle Film for the Detection of Ammonia in Exhaled Breath of COVID-19 Patients Suffering from Acute Kidney Injury.

One of the serious complications of COVID-19 is acute kidney injury (AKI), leading to a decrease in kidney function and even death. The concentration of ammonia (NH3) in the exhaled breath (EB) of COVID-19 patients suffering from AKI symptoms will be significantly increased. In this work, the detection of breath NH3 was performed at gold interdigital electrodes modified with a soluble polypyrrole microparticle and silver nanoparticle film (Au-IDEs/S-PPyMPs/AgNPs) as a noninvasive chemiresistor gas sensor. The response behavior of unmodified and modified gas sensors toward NH3 and other interfering compounds was studied. The Au-IDEs/S-PPyMPs/AgNPs exhibited NH3 detection in the linear dynamic range of 1.00-19.23 ppm, with a limit of detection of 0.12 ppm. Finally, the fabricated gas sensor was used to monitor the NH3 concentration in the EB of COVID-19 patients suffering from AKI symptoms. For this purpose, the gas sensor was validated in 19 EB samples (seven COVID-19-positive patients, four COVID-19-negative patients, and eight post-COVID-19 patients). The gas sensor was directly exposed to the EB samples, followed by recording the changes in electrical resistance via a low-cost digital multimeter. The sensing mechanism was explained as the interaction between breath NH3 and sensing materials. The breath NH3 concentrations have a desirable correlation (R2 = 0.8463) with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values in COVID-19-positive patients. The fabricated gas sensor can distinguish COVID-19-positive patients suffering from AKI symptoms from COVID-19-negative patients and post-COVID-19 patients. The present work can pave the way for the development of a simple and efficient analytical approach for COVID-19 patients with AKI without the need for sample pretreatment.

Challenges in surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of pesticide carbendazim and ways to overcome

Considerable details in the sampling procedure for the detection of the pesticide carbendazim by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were developed. Experimental parameters and recommendations were selected to minimize side processes of carbendazim photodestruction as well as to reduce the background signal from the silver substrate. It was found from the comparison of experimental and density functional theory calculations data that the position of the SERS bands in the carbendazim spectrum depends on the nature of the applied solvent due to different orientations of carbendazim with respect to the surface of silver nanoparticle film. Adsorption from a chloroform solution is preferable to form an aqueous solution for SERS because random adsorption of molecules on a silver surface provides robust carbendazim identification, displaying a larger number of bands in the SERS spectrum, a higher “signal-to-noise” ratio, and then the processes of carbendazim photodestruction slow down.

Ag-MnO2 composite materials (ferns-like structures) for hydrogen peroxide reduction in alkaline medium

• The Ag-MnO 2 Ferns-like were synthesized successfully via pulse electrodeposition (PE) method. • Ag-MnO 2 electrode was used as catalyst for hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction. • Ag-MnO 2 exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for H 2 O 2 reduction. In this study, Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag), was successfully synthetized by pulse electrodeposition (PE) onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The as-prepared Ag-MnO 2 /FTO sample has been characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Impedance Spectroscopy. The micrographs revealed that the deposited film of silver nanoparticles is homogeneous and exhibits ferns-like microstructure. Electrochemical investigation indicates that the Ag-MnO 2 composite possess an excellent performance toward hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) reaction in alkaline medium, this electrode could be used as cathode in feul cells.

Silver Nanoparticle Films Obtained by Convective Self-Assembly for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Analyses of the Pesticides Thiabendazole and Endosulfan.

Pesticides pose a great threat to human health and their rapid detection has become an urgent public safety issue engaging the scientific community to search for fast and reliable detection techniques. In this context, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a valuable detection and analysis tool due to its high sensitivity and selectivity, proving its suitability for the food industry and environmental monitoring applications. Here, we report on the fabrication of colloidal silver nanoparticle (AgNP) films by convective self-assembly (CSA) on solid planar substrate and their use for the SERS analyses of two types of pesticides, the fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ) and the insecticide α-endosulfan (α-ES). Electron microscopy shows that these nanoparticle films are dense, highly compact, and uniform across several mm2 areas. The SERS efficiency of the fabricated AgNP films is evaluated using a well-known Raman probe, p-aminothiophenol, for multiple excitation laser lines (532 nm, 633 nm, and 785 nm). The films exhibit the largest SERS enhancement factors for 785 nm excitation, reaching values larger than 105. Thiabendazole could be readily adsorbed on the AgNPs without any sample surface functionalization and detected down to 10−6 M, reaching the sub-ppm range. Endosulfan, a challenging analyte with poor affinity to metal surfaces, was captured near the metal surface by using self-assembled alkane thiol monolayers (hexanethiol and octanethiol), as demonstrated by the thorough vibrational band analysis, and supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) based on SERS spectra offers significant leverage in discrimination of the molecules anchored onto the metallic nanostructured surface. This present study demonstrates the utility of self-assembled colloidal nanoparticle films as SERS substrates for a broad range of analytes (para-aminothiophenol, thiabendazole, α-endosulfan, and alkanethiols) and contributes to the development of SERS-based sensors for pesticides detection, identification and monitoring.

Optical cavitation in non-absorbent solutions using a continuous-wave laser via optical fiber

Optical cavitation can be induced by short pulse lasers focused into a solution with a low absorption coefficient or using a continuous-wave laser focused into highly absorbent solutions. In this work, we report the generation of cavitation bubbles in ethanol using a continuous-wave fiber optic laser with emission at 450 nm wavelength. Silver and copper nitrate nanoparticles were immobilized on the flat end-face of a multimode optical fiber tip using the photodeposition technique and then immersed into the solution. Laser light transmitted through the optical fiber is strongly absorbed by both nanoparticles causing an abrupt increase in temperature around the tip of the optical fiber, reaching the spinodal limit of ethanol (∼187 °C). At this temperature, an explosive phase transition (liquid–gas) occurs causing the generation of a microbubble, which grows until reaches its maximum radius (∼1072 μm in 132 µs) and subsequently collapses, emitting a shock wave. The dynamic behavior of the gas bubble was studied as a function of the laser power using a high-speed video camera, and the shock wave emitted immediately after the bubblés collapse was detected by a microphone. The pressure of the shock wave was analyzed photodepositing different thin films of silver nanoparticles at the tip of the optical fiber, causing optical attenuations of 1, 3, 5, and 7 dB. The experimental results obtained showed that when a thin film of copper nitrate nanoparticles was photodeposited on a film of silver nanoparticles (5 dB), the pressure of the shock wave increases up to ∼ 13-fold, in comparison, if we use only one film of silver nanoparticles. Energetic shock waves have potential applications in a variety of areas such as medicine, biological sciences, material processing, liquid microjets generation, among others.

Hydrogel films of methanolic Mentha piperita extract and silver nanoparticles enhance wound healing in rats with diabetes Type I

Poor wound healing is considered an obstacle in diabetics, which requires effective therapy. Our goal was to investigate the combined effect of mint and silver nanoparticle hydrogel films as wound-healing agents in diabetic rats. Thirty rats were arranged into five groups. The hydrogel films were prepared through an eco-friendly method, excluding toxic solvents and diluents. Gel 1 and fucidin showed complete wound-healing effect on the 22nd day, while Gel 2 showed a faster effect on the 16th day, all compared to group 1 which healed in 25 days. Diabetic rats in group 2 healed beyond 25 days. Moreover, Gel 1 and Gel 2 decreased the fasting blood glucose. Gel 2 enhances wound healing in diabetic rats via multiple mechanisms of action, possibly due to the ability of mint and silver nanoparticles to sustain their concentration at the wound site with limited toxicity. Abbreviations: CO: castor oil; CS: corn starch; DIW: deionized water; H: hydrogel film; H-MME: hydrogel film developed with CS, PVA, CO and MME; H-SMME: hydrogel film developed with CS, PVA, CO and MME/ SNP; MME: methanolic mint extract; PVA: polyvinyl alcohol; SNP: silver nanoparticles; STZ: streptozotocin

Highly Reflective and Low Resistive Top Electrode for Organic Solar Cells and Modules by Low Temperature Silver Nanoparticle Ink

One of the issues that have caused a wide performance gap between commercially available organic photovoltaic (OPV) modules and the hero cells in literature lies in the lack of printable and roll‐to‐roll process compatible high‐performance top electrodes. This work takes an unorthodox approach to this issue by developing a printable silver nanoparticle (AgNP) film top electrode that can achieve a similar performance as evaporated ones (EvapAg). It illustrates the developmental process from ink formulation to the critical processing conditions that are tailored for OPV devices procedurally. The resultant cells and modules with AgNP electrodes have achieved almost the same power conversion efficiencies (≈90%) as those with evaporated silver electrodes, as demonstrated for multiple material systems, printing methods, as well as layouts. Under low light condition, AgNP cells perform even significantly better than EvapAg ones, due to their lower leakage currents. More importantly, this work has demonstrated that fully printed OPV modules can achieve similar performance as small scale OPV cells with evaporated electrodes when both the electrical and optical performance of their top electrodes are comparable. With the latest generation of materials, this approach offers an attractive alternative for manufacturing of highly efficient OPV modules at large scale.

In-Situ Synthesis of Methyl Cellulose Film Decorated with Silver Nanoparticles as a Flexible Surface-Enhanced Raman Substrate for the Rapid Detection of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables.

The purpose of this study was to develop a flexible substrate methylcellulose-decorated silver nanoparticles (MC/Ag NPs) film and explore its application in fruits and vegetables by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology for rapid detection of pesticides. The performance of the MC/Ag NPs film substrate was characterized by Nile blue A (NBA), and the detection limit was as low as 10−8 M. The substrate also exhibited satisfactory Raman signal strength after two months of storage. The impressive sensitivity and stability were due to the excellent homogeneity of the silver nanoparticles that were grown in situ in the methylcellulose matrix, which generated “hot spots” between the silver nanoparticles without a large amount of aggregation, and resulted in the ultra-high sensitivity and excellent stability of the MC/Ag NPs film substrate. The MC/Ag NPs film substrate was used to detect thiram pesticides on tomato and cucumber peels, and the minimum detectable level of thiram was 2.4 ng/cm2, which was much lower than the maximum residue level. These results indicate that the MC/Ag NPs film is sensitive to rapid detection of multiple pesticides in food.

Fabrication of silver nanoparticle films by pulsed laser deposition in flowless open air and studying the effects of laser fluence and number of pulses

In the present work, pulsed laser deposition of silver in open air is used to fabricate Ag nanoparticle (NP) films on the substrate without using flowing gas. The target was ablated by trains of nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam. The deposited NP films on the substrate were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) characteristics of NPs were extracted from the data of UV/Vis spectrum. Mean size and size distribution of NPs were achieved by analyzing the FESEM images and using image processing technique. In order to show an application of the fabricated NP film in sensors, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of NP films were inspected. The results of SERS show that the fabricated NP films can significantly enhance Raman signals.

Economically reproducible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of different compounds in thin film

We report herein an economically cheap and functionally stable surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) protocol of two photoactive pigments Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Kiton Red (KR), implemented in thin films of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles (AgNPs and AuNPs). Both commercially available and chemically synthesized nanoparticles were used. The suitability of the nanoparticles toward SERS activity was tested through UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The AgNPs and AuNPs based SERS substrates in the form of films were fabricated onto square-sized aluminum(Al) plates by simple drop deposition of colloidal nanoparticles solution onto their polished surfaces. The prepared nanoparticle films were sufficiently dried and coated further with the probe (R6G and KR) molecules by employing the identical deposition technique. The enhanced Raman signals of R6G and KR in such composite film structures were then recorded through a custom-built dispersive Raman spectrometer with He-Ne laser excitation at 632.8 nm. Our AgNPsfilm-based SERS protocol could yield the magnitude of the Raman signal enhancement up to 104 times for both R6G and KR. Moreover, AuNPs-based film was found to be less efficient toward the Raman enhancement of both compounds. Our SERS substrates can be easily fabricated, and SERS spectra are reproducible and stable, allowing one to consistently get a reproducible result even after 6 months.
 J. Bangladesh Acad. Sci. 45(1); 1-11: June 2021

The preparation, characterization and antibacterial properties of chitosan/pectin silver nanoparticle films

Edible film production from natural biodegradable polymers that will not cause environmental waste problems has been increasing in recent years. Antibacterial materials can be added to these films to increase the shelf life and quality of products. In this work, chitosan-based and chitosan/pectin-based silver nanoparticle films which has eco-friendly and antibacterial properties were synthesized. The morphological test of the prepared films was performed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The presence of silver element was detected by energy-dispersive X-ray. Thermal analysis was tested with thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimeter analyzer. The crystallinity (%) of films was determined with X-ray diffraction analyzer. The presence of pectin increased the thermal stability and crystallinity%. The mechanical tests were examined with Zwick universal testing machine and the content of pectin improved the mechanical properties of film. The antibacterial test was done toward Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). Chitosan/pectin-based films compared with chitosan-based film displayed long-lasting antibacterial activity against E.coli.

Influence of polyelectrolytes on increasing sensitivity of an immunofluorescent analysis based on plasmon silver nanoparticles

It was studied the dependence of the interaction of the components of the immunofluorescence test system for the quantitative determination of prostate specific antigen based on plasmon silver nanoparticles on the physicochemical nature of various polyelectrolytes used to coat films of silver nanoparticles. It has been shown that the use of a weakly charged polycationic polyelectrolyte poly-L-lysine can increase the antigenic binding of the test system by 2.34 times, and the use of a highly charged polycationic polyelectrolyte polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride increases the binding affinity of prostatic specific antigen by 5 times. When developing various immunochemical test systems using films of silver nanoparticles, an important parameter is the choice of a polyelectrolyte for coating a silver nanolayer, since the physicochemical and electrostatic properties of the polyelectrolyte can significantly affect both the sorption capacity of the solid phase and the conformational state functional activity of immobilized protein molecules. Both specificity and sensitivity of the immunochemical test system, as well as the minimum possible detectable concentration of bioanalyte, largely depend on these parameters.

Plasma treatment toward electrically conductive and superhydrophobic cotton fibers by in situ preparation of polypyrrole and silver nanoparticles

Smart fibers with multifunctional properties, such as antimicrobial activity, electrically conductive, ultraviolet protection, and superhydrophobic properties have been highly desirable. In this study, a nanocomposite composed of polypyrrole (Ppyr) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized and immobilized into plasma-activated cotton utilizing pad dry cure finishing process of pyrrole and silver nitrate (AgNO3) into cotton fibers to establish a persistent multifunctional surface. An oxidation-reduction polymerization of pyrrole into polypyrrole associated with reduction of Ag+ ions into Ag0 nanoparticles leads to their permanent insolubility in the internal fibrous matrix to result in high fastness without changing the mechanical characteristics of the treated fabrics. The electrically conductive cotton smart fabric was fabricated by plasma-assisted immobilization of the polypyrrole conductive polymer in the presence and absence of AgNPs. Nano-structural thin film of polypyrrole and silver nanoparticles was developed in situ after plasma treatment of cotton fibers. The superhydrophobic character was imparted to the cotton fibers by treatment with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS). The morphologies and chemical composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Both air-permeability and stiffness of the treated cotton fabrics were explored to evaluate their comfort properties. The antibacterial performance against E. coli and S. aureus were explored. In addition, the treated fabrics exhibited a high protection against ultraviolet light.

Annealed plasmonic Ag nanoparticle films for surface enhanced fluorescence substrate

In this work, the silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) films were deposited on glass slide by dc magnetron sputtering. The effect of annealing temperature on morphology and optical property were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy, respectively. From the results, the size and inter-particle distance of Ag NPs depend on annealing temperature. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band position shift to the blue with the annealing temperature increased. The surface enhanced fluorescence (SEF) effect of the Ag NPs films was investigated by emission spectra of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) fluorescent molecules. It was found that the florescent intensity of R6G, corresponding to the diameter and surface roughness of Au NP films. Finally, the Ag NPs film substrate offer a cost-effective with non-lithography fabrication potentially applied in plasmonic sensor chips for biomedical and food safety applications.

Enhanced optical cross-section of radiation induced defect centers under plasmon resonance conditions: Shifting stimulation wavelength of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters

Plasmon-enhanced luminescence is an important tool for development of advanced sensing technologies but the mechanisms originating these enhancements are still in debate. In this work, we investigate plasmon-enhanced luminescence mechanisms using the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) from defect centers in X-ray irradiated sodium chloride nanocrystals deposited on silver nanoparticle (AgNP) films with varying plasmon properties upon blue, green, and red OSL stimulation. Although the absolute OSL intensity for NaCl crystals is higher upon blue stimulation, under plasmon resonance conditions, higher absolute OSL intensity occurs upon green stimulation and the largest OSL enhancements are observed by employing red stimulation. These results suggest that, as long as the OSL stimulation wavelength is well tuned with the film plasmon band, plasmonic coupling does not depend on the trap depth and that the largest luminescence enhancements are achieved in spectral regions where the optical cross-sections of the defect centers are smaller. In terms of radiation dosimetry applications, this result allows to shift the stimulation wavelength farther from the OSL emission window, improving the signal to noise ratio and the dose assessment sensitivity and accuracy.

Facile ultrathin film of silver nanoparticles for bacteria sensing

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) exhibit excellent anti-microbial and bactericidal properties. Due to bacterial abhorrence for AgNPs, it is difficult to develop a label-free, sensitive and low-cost bacteria sensor using them. In the present article, we report that an ultrathin and uniform Langmuir–Schaefer (LS) film of AgNPs can be employed for bacteria sensing effectively as compared to that of non-uniform and randomly distributed AgNPs in spin coated film. The uniformly distributed AgNPs in the LS film offer a relatively larger contact surface for bacteria as compared to that of spin coated film. Due to higher contact surface, adsorption of the bacteria on LS film is strongly preferable as compared to that of spin coated film leading to an enhanced sensing performance of the LS film than that of spin coated film. Soil bacteria was grown by the standard protocol and were utilized as model system for bacteria sensing application. The soil bacteria sensing was done by monitoring the piezoresponse and dissipation parameters using a quartz crystal microbalance, simultaneously. Our study indicates that the LS film of AgNPs not only facilitates the adsorption of the soil bacteria but also kills them.

Silver nanoparticle films by flowing gas atmospheric pulsed laser deposition and application to surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

For the fast uptake into industrial applications, the further development of robust methods of nanomaterials, which are inexpensive and simultaneously technologically feasible, is one of the major key factors. A newly introduced atmospheric pulsed laser deposition method, based on a flowing gas approach, was used for plasmonic metal nanoparticle (NP) film of silver. Contrary to vacuum, in this method, the ambient air restricts expansion of the ablation plume within 1 to 3 mm above the target surface. These sets constrain on the formation of NP film close to the ablation spot. For deposition on a widely spaced surface, ablation material was entrained in a flow of argon, supplied at ~32 ms−1, and effectively delivered to the substrate at ~20 ms−1. The films produced were crystalline and particulate in nature, showing spectral plasmonic feature of surface plasmon resonance in the visible region. The film was directly tested in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for chemical detection of crystal violet; the film with large particulates and aggregated crystallites was well-performed, showing enhanced Raman signals and detection sensitivity. Certainly, flowing gas atmospheric pulsed laser deposition seems a fast alternative to vacuum-pulsed laser deposition but needs further investigations to bring it in the industry for applications in sensor, catalysis, solar cell, and coating technology.