Influence of adsorption orientation of methyl orange on silver colloids by Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy: pH effect

This work seeks to characterize the UV-Vis absorption, SRES and fluorescence of methyl orange (MO) on silver colloids at different pH. The gradual changes of SERS signals indicate differing adsorption orientations of dyes on silver surface when pH changed and thus, results in different energy transfer efficiencies, i.e., the fluorescence quenching at 428 nm and synchronous enhancement at 560 nm changed gradually with pH increased by step-up. Both experimental evidence and theoretic analysis indicate that, different molecular structures and differing adsorption orientations of dyes on silver surface were existence when pH changed, and thereat caused the diverse spectral phenomena.