Preparation of TiN nanorods for SERS substrate by controlling pulse frequency of high power impulse magnetron sputtering

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate was fabricated using titanium nitride nanorods structures (TiN NRs) which were prepared by the combination of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and glancing angle depositions (GLAD) techniques. The surface morphology, crystalline structures and chemical composition of TiN NRs were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, (XPS) respectively. Additionally, a portable Raman spectroscopy at 532 nm was used to inspect the performance of Raman signal enhancement. The cubic phase of TiN NRs was shown on (111), (200) and (220) planes. The efficiency of the generated Raman signal of Rhodamine 6 G be measured at a detection limit of 10-6 M with a long shelf-life of TiN NR SERS of more than 28 days. According to the experimental results, TiN NRs are a promising candidate for SERS substrates fabricated cost effectively.

Automated summary

In this study, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate was fabricated using titanium nitride nanorods structures (TiN NRs) prepared by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and glancing angle depositions (GLAD) techniques. The surface morphology, crystalline structures, and chemical composition of TiN NRs were characterized, and the efficiency of the generated Raman signal was measured. The results show that TiN NRs are a promising candidate for cost-effective fabrication of SERS substrates.