Green preparation of silver nanofilms as SERS-active substrates for Rhodamine 6G detection

Abstract A green and reliable seed-mediated electroless deposition method using the Sargentgloryvine stem extract as reducing and capping agent is explored to prepare silver nanofilms (Ag NFs) as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates. The average particle size of Ag NFs can be facilely controlled only by adjusting the amount of AgNO3 in the growth solution. Furthermore, the SERS properties of Ag NFs are established experimentally and their Raman enhancement mechanism is revealed by means of the scanning electron microscopy and the finite-difference time-domain simulation. It is found that high surface coverage and slight surface agglomeration of Ag NFs are beneficial for the amplification of Raman signal. Optimized Ag NFs display superior sensitivity towards Rhodamine 6G molecules and good reproducibility, indicating potential applications in SERS-based detection and analysis. Meanwhile, the proposed method to obtain Ag NFs provide a promising route for the preparation of other metal nanofilm.