Noble metal-comparable SERS enhancement from semiconducting metal oxides by making oxygen vacancies

Shan Cong, Yinyin Yuan, Zhigang Chen, Junyu Hou, Mei Yang, Yanli Su, Yongyi Zhang, Liang Li, Qingwen Li, Fengxia Geng and Zhigang Zhao ()
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Shan Cong: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Yinyin Yuan: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Zhigang Chen: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Junyu Hou: College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University
Mei Yang: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Yanli Su: College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University
Yongyi Zhang: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Liang Li: Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology
Qingwen Li: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Fengxia Geng: College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University
Zhigang Zhao: Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) represents a very powerful tool for the identification of molecular species, but unfortunately it has been essentially restricted to noble metal supports (Au, Ag and Cu). While the application of semiconductor materials as SERS substrate would enormously widen the range of uses for this technique, the detection sensitivity has been much inferior and the achievable SERS enhancement was rather limited, thereby greatly limiting the practical applications. Here we report the employment of non-stoichiometric tungsten oxide nanostructure, sea urchin-like W18O49 nanowire, as the substrate material, to magnify the substrate–analyte molecule interaction, leading to significant magnifications in Raman spectroscopic signature. The enrichment of surface oxygen vacancy could bring additional enhancements. The detection limit concentration was as low as 10−7 M and the maximum enhancement factor was 3.4 × 105, in the rank of the highest sensitivity, to our best knowledge, among semiconducting materials, even comparable to noble metals without ‘hot spots’.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8800

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