A well-ordered flower-like gold nanostructure for integrated sensors via surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Abstract

A controllable flower-like Au nanostructure array for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was fabricated using the combined technique of the top-down approach of conventional photolithography and the bottom-up approach of electrodeposition. Au nanostructures with a mean roughness ranging from 5.1 to 49.6 nm were obtained by adjusting electrodeposition time from 2 to 60 min. The rougher Au nanostructure provides higher SERS enhancement, while the highest SERS intensity obtained with the Au nanostructure is 29 times stronger than the lowest intensity. The SERS spectra of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB), benzenethiol (BT), adenine and DNA were observed from the Au nanostructure.