Distance dependence of the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering effect observed in amorphous TiO2 on nanostructured gold

Plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles is responsible of the electromagnetic (EM) Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) effect. Interaction of an amorphous matrix with a SERS substrate was studied. Thin films with different thickness of amorphous TiO2 coated on a Klarite (R) substrate show a 100 times enhancement of the Raman signal. Distance dependence of the SERS interaction was shown to be less than 60 nm. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.