Effect of the Combination of Gold Nanoparticles and Polyelectrolyte Layers on SERS Measurements

Antonello Nucera; Rossella Grillo; Carmen Rizzuto; Riccardo Cristoforo Barberi; Marco Castriota; Thomas Bürgi; Roberto Caputo; Giovanna Palermo

doi:10.3390/bios12100895

Effect of the Combination of Gold Nanoparticles and Polyelectrolyte Layers on SERS Measurements

Biosensors (Basel). 2022 Oct 19;12(10):895. doi: 10.3390/bios12100895.

Authors

Antonello Nucera^{1

2}, Rossella Grillo³, Carmen Rizzuto^{1

2}, Riccardo Cristoforo Barberi^{1

2}, Marco Castriota^{1

2}, Thomas Bürgi³, Roberto Caputo^{1

2}, Giovanna Palermo^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, University of Calabria, Via Ponte Bucci, Cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
² CNR-Nanotec, Via Ponte Bucci, Cubo 33C, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
³ Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

In this study, polyelectrolyte (PE) layers are deposited on substrates made by glass covered with an array of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). In particular, the samples studied have 0 PE layers (GGPE0), 3 PE layers (GGPE3), 11 PE layers (GGPE11), and 21 PE layers (GGPE21). All samples have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. An acetic acid solution (10% v/v) has been used as a standard solution in order to investigate the SERS effect induced by different numbers of PE layers in each sample. The Surface Enhancement Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) effect correlating to the number of PE layers deposited on the samples has been shown. This effect is explained in terms of an increase in the interaction between the photon of the laser source and the plasmonic band of the GNPs due to a change of the permittivity of the surrounding medium around the GNPs. The trends of the ratios of the intensities of the Raman bands of the acetic acid solution (acetic acid and water molecules) on the band at 1098 cm-1 ascribed to the substrates increase, and the number of PE layers increases.

Keywords: Raman spectroscopy; SERS; gold nanoparticles; plasmonic band; polyelectrolyte layers.

MeSH terms

Gold* / chemistry
Metal Nanoparticles* / chemistry
Polyelectrolytes
Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods
Water

Substances

Gold
Polyelectrolytes
Water

Grants and funding

This research was partially funded by POR CALABRIA FESR-FSE 2014–2020-ASSE I–Promozione della ricerca e dell’innovazione obiettivo specifico 1.2 Azione 1.2.2 Project: ME-RAVIGLIE. G.P. acknowledges financial support from the “AIM: Attraction and International Mobility”—PON R&I 2014–2020 Calabria.