Silver-Gold Nanocomposite Substrates for Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence: Ensemble and Single-Molecule Spectroscopic Studies

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the studies involving the interactions of fluorophores with plasmonic nanostructures or nanopartides. These interactions lead to several favorable effects such as increase in the fluorescence intensities, increased photostabilities, and reduced excited-state lifetimes that can be exploited to improve the capabilities of present fluorescence methodologies. In this regard, we report the use of newly developed silver-gold nanocomposite (Ag-Au-NC) structures as substrates for metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF). The Ag-Au-NC substrates have been prepared by a one-step galvanic replacement reaction from thin silver films coated on glass slides. This approach is simple and suitable for the fabrication of MEF substrates with large area. We have observed about 15-fold enhancement in the fluorescence intensity of ATTO655 from ensemble fluorescence measurements using these substrates. The fluorescence enhancement on the Ag-Au-NC substrates is also accompanied by a reduction in the fluorescence lifetime of ATTO655, which is consistent with the fluorophore plasmon coupling mechanism. Single-molecule fluorescence measurements have been performed to gain more insight into the metal fluorophore interactions and to unravel the heterogeneity in the interaction of individual fluorophores with the fabricated substrates. The single-molecule studies are in good agreement with the ensemble measurements and show maximum enhancements of similar to 50-fold for molecules located in proximity to the "hotspots" on the substrates. In essence, the Ag-Au-NC substrates have a very good potential for various MEF applications.