Long-Term Stable Structures Formed by Ion-Beam Modification of Silver Film for SERS Applications
Abstract Ensembles of silver nanoparticles (NPs) with size ~45 nm formed from the silver film using an ion beam modification are studied. The optical spectroscopy demonstrated that the fabricated ensembles of silver NPs keep stable their plasmonic properties in an ambient atmosphere for at least 39 days due to their monocrystalline nature. We use the scanning Raman microscope to map the SERS from Crystal Violet homogeneously adsorbed on these ensembles. It was found that the manufactured ensembles have a strong amplification factor, and this factor is preserved for these ensembles even after more than one month of storage in the surrounding atmosphere. Hereby, by ion beam modification of silver film, it is possible to fabricate the NPs with stable plasmonic properties and form nanostructured surfaces to be applied in sensor technologies and SERS.