Gold-Nanoparticles/Boron-Doped-Diamond Composites as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates

By vacuum sputtering and annealing processes of gold (Au) films on boron-doped diamond (BDD) surfaces, Au-nanoparticles/BDD (AuNP/BDD) composite substrates were prepared as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. The SERS performances of the substrate were investigated using methylene blue molecule as a probe. With the AuNPs having an average diameter of 20 nm, high performance of SERS was achieved at an enhancement factor of 9\times 10^5, arising from the synergistic effect of electromagnetic enhancement from AuNPs and chemical enhancement from diamond. The AuNP/BDD substrate is demonstrated to be highly sensitive, reproducible, stable, and reusable for the SERS examination. Due to the facile preparation process and controllable surface morphology, the AuNP/BDD substrates are favorable as a high performance SERS platform performed in practical applications.