Tuning surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of silver nanowires

Silver nanostructure has excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties. However, the influence of the diameter of silver nanowires on the SERS is still unclear. To this end, four Ag NWs with diameters of 20, 25, 31, and 38 nm were designed and fabricated. The effects of diameter on the SERS were studied experimentally and simulated theoretically. The results indicate that the SERS activities of the Ag NWs increase with the diameter within a certain range. The highest EF value is up to 5.0 × 10 9 . These results may provide a reference for the design of high-performance Ag NWs SERS substrates.