Green Synthesis of Ag Thin Films on Glass Substrates and Their Application in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Abstract

Nanostructured Ag thin films could be facilely prepared by soaking glass substrates in ethanolic solutions containing Ag2O powders at an elevated temperature. The formation of zero-valent Ag was corroborated using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposition of Ag onto a glass substrate was readily controlled simply by changing the reaction time. Due to the aggregated structures of Ag, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra of benzenethiol could be clearly identified using the Ag-coated glass. The enhancement factor at 514.5 nm excitation estimated using benzenethiol reached 1.0 x 10(5) while the detection limit of rhodamine 6G was found to be as low as 1.0 x 10(-13) M. Since this one-pot fabrication method is eco-friendly and is suitable for the mass production of diverse Ag films, it is expected to play a significant role in the development of surface plasmon-based analytical devices.