Silver nanostructures, utilized as SERS substrates, consistently exhibit exceptional performance in detecting organic compounds through Raman spectroscopy, primarily due to the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism. This study explores an advanced SERS substrate composed of cavities formed by silver dendrites (Ag-Ds) on TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2-NT), demonstrating exceptional performance in detecting organic compounds through Raman spectroscopy. TiO2-NT acts as a template, guiding the nucleation and growth of Ag-D to create the cavity structures. The deposition time of silver significantly influences substrate performance in detecting Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Ibuprofen (IB). It has been observed that an extended deposition time diminishes the enhancement factor. In contrast, a shorter deposition time yields notable enhancement due to the combined effects of electromagnetic and chemical enhancement mechanisms. An optimum deposition time limits dendrite growth, forming cavities where the electric field couples with multiple light reflections, further amplifying the SERS enhancement. The cavity-hosted Ag-D/TiO2-NT substrate achieves an impressive analytic SERS enhancement factor of up to 2 × 109, enabling the detection of R6G and IB at a low detection limit of 10-12 M.

中文翻译：

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增强在 TiO2 纳米管上生长的腔体银枝晶的 SERS 性能


用作 SERS 衬底的银纳米结构在通过拉曼光谱检测有机化合物方面始终表现出卓越的性能，这主要是由于电磁增强机制。本研究探索了一种先进的 SERS 衬底，该衬底由 TiO2 纳米管 （TiO2-NT） 上的银枝晶 （Ag-Ds） 形成的空腔组成，在通过拉曼光谱检测有机化合物方面表现出卓越的性能。TiO2-NT 充当模板，引导 Ag-D 的成核和生长以产生空腔结构。银的沉积时间显著影响检测罗丹明 6G （R6G） 和布洛芬 （IB） 的底物性能。据观察，延长的沉积时间会降低增强因子。相比之下，由于电磁和化学增强机制的综合作用，较短的沉积时间会产生显着的增强。最佳沉积时间限制了枝晶的生长，形成电场与多个光反射耦合的空腔，进一步放大了 SERS 增强。腔体 Ag-D/TiO2-NT 底物实现了令人印象深刻的分析型 SERS 增强因子，高达 2 × 109，能够在 10-12 M 的低检测限下检测 R6G 和 IB。