Bright Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering with Fluorescence Quenching from Silica Encapsulated J-Aggregate Coated Gold Nanoparticles.

Plexitonic nanoparticles offer variable optical properties through tunable excitations, in addition to electric field enhancements that far exceed molecular resonators. This study demonstrates a way to design an ultrabright surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signal while simultaneously quenching the fluorescence background through silica encapsulation of the semiconductor-metal composite nanoparticles. Using a multistep approach, a J-aggregate-forming organic dye is assembled on the surface of gold nanoparticles using a cationic linker. Excitonic resonance of the J-aggregate-metal system shows an enhanced SERS signal at an appropriate excitation wavelength. Further encapsulation of the decorated particles in silica shows a significant reduction in the fluorescence signal of the Raman spectra (5× reduction) and an increase in Raman scattering (7× enhancement) when compared to phospholipid encapsulation. This reduction in fluorescence is important for maximizing the useful SERS enhancement from the particle, which shows a signal increase on the order of 104 times greater than J-aggregated dye in solution and 24 times greater than Oxonica S421 SERS tag. The silica layer also serves to promote colloidal stability. The combination of reduced fluorescence background, enhanced SERS intensity, and temporal stability makes these particles highly distinguishable with potential to enable high-throughput applications such as SERS flow cytometry.

Forming End-to-End Oligomers of Gold Nanorods Using Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines.

The illumination of aggregated metal nanospecies can create strong local electric fields to brighten Raman scattering. This study describes a procedure to self-assemble gold nanorods (NRs) through the use of porphyrin and phthalocyanine agents to create reproducibly stable and robust NR aggregates in the form of end-to-end oligomers. Narrow inter-rod gaps result, creating electric field "hot spots" between the NRs. The organic linker molecules themselves are potential Raman-based optical labels, and the result is significant numbers of Raman-active species located in the hot spots. NR polymerization was quenched by phospholipid encapsulation, which allows for control of the polydispersity of the aggregate solution, to optimize the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement and permitted the aqueous solubility of the aggregates. The increased presence of Raman-active species in the hot spots and the optimizing of solution polydispersity resulted in the observation of scattering enhancements by encapsulated porphyrins/phthalocyanines of up to 3500-fold over molecular chromophores lacking the NR oligomer host.

Effects on the self-assembly of n-alkane/gold nanoparticle mixtures spread at the air-water interface.

Nanoparticle films formed at the air-water interface readily form rigid films, where the nanoparticles irreversibly associate into floating "islands", often riddled with voids and defects, upon solvent evaporation. Improving the nanoparticle mobility in these films is key to achieving control over the nanoparticle packing parameters, which is attractive for a variety of applications. In this study, a variety of n-alkanes were mixed with tetradecanethiol-capped 2 nm gold nanoparticles and studied as Langmuir films at 18 and 32 °C. Pressure-area isotherms at 18 °C reveal a mixed liquid-expanded phase of nanoparticles and alkane at the air-water interface, but only for n-alkanes that are equal to or exceed the nanoparticle capping ligand in carbon chain length. Transmission electron microscopy images of the corresponding films suggest that the nanoparticles are mixed with a continuous hydrocarbon phase at 0 mN/m and that the hydrocarbon is squeezed out of the nanoparticle film during compression.