Nanorod structure tuning and defect engineering of MoO for high-performance SERS substrates.

In recent years, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on metal oxide semiconductors has been an active area of research and development, attracting significant scientific interest. These SERS substrates are known as plasmon-free SERS substrates because they are not based on noble metal nanoparticles but mainly on the defects, structure, and surface morphology of semiconductors to enhance the Raman signal. In this study, we fabricated a SERS substrate based on molybdenum oxide, using reactive DC magnetron sputtering and then used different simple and effective strategies to enhance the Raman signal.

Increasing charge transfer of SERS by the combination of amorphous AlO-Al thin film and ZnO nanorods decorated with Ag nanoparticles for trace detection of metronidazole.

In this work, we study the charge transfer improvement by the combination of two semiconductors of SERS. The energy levels of the semiconductor, when combined, become intermediate energy levels that support the charge transfer from the HOMO to the LUMO level, amplifying the Raman signal of the organic molecules. The SERS substrates of Ag/a-AlO-Al/ZnO nanorods with high sensitivity are prepared for detecting dye rhodamine 6G (R6G) and metronidazole (MNZ) standard.