SILVER-DOPED SOL-GEL FILMS AS THE SUBSTRATE FOR SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN-SCATTERING

A method was developed to prepare silver-doped sol-gel films for surfa ce-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. The technique involves first doping silver lions as a silver ammine complex [Ag(NH3)(2)(+)] i nto a sol-gel matrix, followed by chemical reduction of the doped silv er ions into the corresponding silver metal particles, The silver-dope d sol-gel films coated on a glass substrate exhibit strong enhancement (24000-fold) of Raman scattering from molecules adsorbed on the surfa ce. Very stable SERS spectra of benzoic acid over a period of 48 h wer e obtained with the new silver substrate. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons L td.