Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in 3D electrospun nanofiber mats coated with gold nanorods

TL;DR

This paper investigates how 3D electrospun nanofiber mats coated with gold nanorods can serve as flexible substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, demonstrating significant signal enhancement through structural and compositional tuning.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how nanofiber architecture and gold nanorod coating enhance Raman signals, advancing nanofiber-based SERS technology.

Findings

Nanofiber mats increase surface area for SERS

Gold nanorods amplify Raman signals

Tuning architecture enhances signal strength

Abstract

Nanofibers functionalized by metal nanostructures and particles are exploited as effective flexible substrates for SERS analysis. Their complex three-dimensional structure may provide Raman signals enhanced by orders of magnitude compared to untextured surfaces. Understanding the origin of such improved performances is therefore very important for pushing nanofiber-based analytical technologies to their upper limit. Here we report on polymer nanofiber mats which can be exploited as substrates for enhancing the Raman spectra of adsorbed probe molecules. The increased surface area and the scattering of light in the nanofibrous system are individually analyzed as mechanisms to enhance Raman scattering. The deposition of gold nanorods on the fibers further amplifies Raman signals due to SERS. This study suggests that Raman signals can be finely tuned in intensity and effectively enhanced in nanofiber mats and arrays by properly tailoring the architecture, composition, and light-scattering properties of the complex networks of filaments.