Flexible Sers-Active Substrates Based on Silver Nanoparticles Grown in Poly(Acrylic Acid) Grafted to a Polypropylene Film

Flexible SERS substrates were obtained by the photo-activated synthesis of silver nanoparticles in a thin (10–170 nm) layer of poly(acrylic acid) chemically grafted to the surface of a polypropylene fi lm. The plasmonic absorption and the SERS activity of the substrates were studied as a function of the thickness of the grafted layer for a fixed time of nanoparticle synthesis. The results indicate dense three-dimensional packing of plasmonic nanoparticles in the grafted polymer layer. The substrates have a storage-stable and surface-uniform SERS activity.