One-Step Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Liquid Crystal Molecules for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection

Gold nanoparticles have received widespread attention as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection active substrates. In this work, we used the nematic liquid crystal molecule N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA) at room temperature to synthesize liquid crystal (LC)-Au nanoparticles in one step without adding any other reducing agents or stabilizers. Gold nanoparticles synthesized by this method have good sensitivity and stability as a SERS substrate. The nanoparticles can detect Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules with a concentration as low as 10−8 M, and the SERS signal does not decrease significantly in 30 days. Using this synthesis principle, we grew gold nanoparticles in a capillary in one step. We expect the proposed method to result in a highly efficient and portable SERS substrate after subsequent improvements.