Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of carbon nanostructures

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of diamond nanocrystals and fullerene was investigated. Ag and Au films were used as SERS-active agent. In the first series of experiments SERS were prepared with sputtered island metals on the nanoparticles surfaces. In the second one the nanoparticles were positioned on silver surface using laser acceleration method. SERS is a powerful method to analyze the light accelerated nanoparticles patterning for their spatial distribution and structure. The enhancement in Raman spectral intensity of graphite-like phases and blinking effect are observed. Additional bands due to selective enhancement from cluster surface with different arrangement are generated. For SERS of diamond crystal phase as well as for fullerenes the characteristic shift and asymmetry of Raman bands are also observed. The investigation can be of interest both for the understanding of carbon nanostructures' physics and for their applications, especially for bio-detection, as well as for the studying of SERS mechanism.