Submicron patterns obtained by thermal-induced reconstruction of self-assembled monolayer of Ag nanoparticles and their application in SERS

Abstract The layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique was employed for the deposition of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and triangular Ag nanoplates on glass substrates. A thermal-induced reconstruction of these polyelectrolyte-linked nanoparticle (NP) films was presented. Before the reconstruction, triangular Ag nanoplates were distributed uniformly on the surface with an average interval of 50 ± 15 nm. After the reconstruction, the triangular Ag nanoplates accumulated into discrete stacks with an average interval of 90 ± 25 nm. The temperature-dependent experiments were done and the optimal temperature for the formation of the reconstructed patterns was 120 °C. The possible mechanism of the NP movement and stacking was analyzed. Under the experimental conditions, a hydrophobic environment was formed because of the vacuum and heating. As a result the polyelectrolyte-linked Ag NPs preferred to congregate due to the lowered surface energy. Finally the submicron patterns were formed. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties of the films before and after the reconstruction was investigated. The reconstructed films with submicron patterns had better SERS enhancement ability, which was 1300 times to the original films. The reconstruction method of the monolayer films showed great potential in the surface design and related applications.