Au nanoparticles on graphitic petal arrays for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

We report a unique substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on Au nanoparticle-decorated, thin graphitic petals. The petals were grown on Si substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition without catalyst, followed by Au nanoparticle decoration on the oxygen plasma-treated petals by electrodeposition. The substrates possess high surface area and sharp nanoscale features that enable high SERS sensitivity to detect 1 x 10(-7) M rhodamine 6G in methanol solution. The obtained SERS enhancement is comparable to the best values reported in the literature and is determined to result from high surface area and increased density of Au nanoparticles on the petal surfaces. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3493656]