Space confined electroless deposition of silver nanoparticles for highly-uniform SERS detection

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Vol. 255; pp. 1401 - 1406
• Main Authors: Liu, Lingxiao, Wu, Feifei, Xu, Daren, Li, Ning, Lu, Nan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.02.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Arrays; Distribution of silver nanoparticles; Electroless deposition; Electroless metal deposition; Electroless plating; Melamine; Nanoparticles; Reproducibility; Sers; Si nanopillar array; Silicon substrates; Silver; Standard deviation; Electroless metal deposition; Sers; Reproducibility; Si nanopillar array; Distribution of silver nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2017.08.128

[Display omitted] •A method is proposed to control the distribution of AgNPs by using Si nanopillar array as template for EMD process.•AgNPs are selectively deposited on the top surface of Si nanopillars because of space confinement.•The signal intensity recorded on AgNPs@Si-nanopillar arrays is stronger than that recorded on the AgNPs deposited on blank Si. The SERS enhancement of AgNPs@Si-nanopillar arrays is up to 2.2×106.•The relative standard deviation of SERS intensity is decreased to ca. 5.27% from 23.2% by using AgNPs@Si-nanopillars as substrate instead of AgNPs@Si. We demonstrate an efficient method to improve the reproducibility of SERS detection by controlling the distribution of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Si nanopillar arrays as space confined templates for generating AgNPs with electroless deposition. In the detection of 4-MPy, the relative standard deviation of SERS intensity is decreased to ca. 5.27% from 23.2% by using the AgNPs selectively deposited on Si nanopillar array instead of that randomly deposited on blank Si. Moreover, the SERS-active substrate has good performance in detecting milk contaminated by melamine. This method could be used in real detection.