Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering and density functional calculations of hemicyanine adsorbed on colloidal silver surface

Resonance Raman (RR) and surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) of 4'-(N,N'-dimethylaminostyryl)-4-propylpyridinium bromide (hemicyanine, HC dye) in acetonitrile solution and on a colloidal silver surface have been investigated. The structure of the dye in the ground (So) and excited (SI) electronic states was optimized using density functional calculations along with the B3LYP and the configuration interaction with the singlet excitation (CIS) methods, respectively, using the 6-31G* basis set. The vibrational frequencies of the molecule were computed at the optimized geometry and compared with the observed Raman bands. A complete normal-mode analysis has been carried out because it is essential for the accurate assignment of the vibrational spectra. From the observed enhancement along various in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations in the SERRS spectrum and from theoretical calculations, it has been inferred that the interaction with the silver Surface occurs via the nitrogen lone pair of the pyridyl or the dimethylamino group of the molecule with a tilted orientation. The observed red-shifts in the SERRS spectrum along various vibrations indicate strong interaction (chemisorption) of the HC dye with the silver surface. This is also Supported by the presence of a Ag-N stretching vibration at 241 cm(-1). The effect of the dye concentration on the orientation of the molecule is also discussed.