Noble metal nanomaterials have been intensively studied in nanotechnology for numerous applications in various fields such as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), catalysis, and drug delivery. Bimetallic nanomaterials composed of gold and silver alloy exhibit unique physical and optical properties that are inaccessible to comparable monometallic systems. Such properties can be finely tuned by changing the nanostructure morphology and the gold/silver composition, which impact their overall performance in applications. In our work, a seed mediated growth was used to form Ag nanocubes, the size of which could be controlled by the synthesis conditions. In order to improve the nanostructure's stability, a shell-like layer of mesoporous silica was fabricated on the surface of the silver nanocubes. Furthermore, via a galvanic reaction between silver and gold salt, silica coated gold/silver alloy nanoparticles were fabricated, and their unique SERS performance evaluated. A series of characterization methods were used to obtain valuable information concerning the nanostructures' morphology, composition ratio, and crystal features. In addition, the impact of the silica layer on the nanostructures' SERS enhancement will be presented.

Synthesis of SERS-active silica coated gold/silver alloy nanostructures

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.