Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensor Based on Silver Dendritic Nanostructures

Based on the diffusion-limited aggregation process, a convenient self-selective electroless plating nanotechnique is demonstrated to yield silver dendritic nanostructures. Localization of the optical eigenmodes and associated strong field fluctuations can lead to dramatic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in the silver dendrites. The finite difference time domain calculation and Raman measurements using Rhodamine 6G as the probing molecule indicate that the intensity of the enhanced-Raman signals has an obvious dependence on the structures of the silver dendrites. To further explore the use of dendritic silver nanostructures to detect biomolecules, the native DNA base adenine and adenosine were also examined. The present methodology demonstrates that silver dendritic nanostructures have high potential in optical chemical and biological sensing applications.