Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering activity of Ag/graphene/polymer nanocomposite films synthesized by laser ablation

Nanocomposites composed of poly(butylacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) and graphene were ablated with a transversely excited atmosphere CO2 laser using an incident fluence of up to 7.3 J cm− 2. This resulted in a deposition of thin composite films with graphene sheets that were very well distributed in the polymer matrix. The active substrates for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) were prepared by subsequent depositions of silver nanoparticles on the surface of the composite films, with an ArF excimer laser ablation of elemental silver. The deposits were characterized by means of spectroscopy, microscopy, and diffraction techniques. The SERS substrate performance was tested using Rhodamine 6G as a probe substance. The probe substance was detected at low concentrations and a highly enhanced Raman signal was achieved.