High performance SERS substrates using high surface roughness gold nanosheets assembled by nanowires

Abstract Gold nanosheets were prepared by a solid-state ionics method under a direct current electric field (DCEF) using fast ionic conductor Rb4Cu16Cl13I7 films. The morphology and chemical composition of the gold nanosheets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. Raman enhancement performance of the gold nanosheet substrates was detected by Rhodamine 6G (R6G) aqueous solutions as probe molecules. Gold nanosheets assembled by long-range order and short-range order pure gold nanowires and the nanowires were bamboo-shaped, the diameters of nanowires ranged from 30 to 70 nm. The limiting concentrations of R6G for the prepared gold nanosheet SERS substrates is 10−16 mol/L.