A rapid green route for fabricating efficient SERS substrates

This study develops a simple, rapid electrochemical approach for preparing dendrite-shaped Ag nanomaterials, which are well known as effective SERS substrates. In addition to yielding silver that exhibits a strong enhancement in SERS measurements when tested with 2,2′-dithiodipyridine and ethylenethiourea, this new fabrication method does not require any template, surfactants or supporting electrolyte, making it environment friendly. Analysis illustrates that the as-prepared Ag products are essentially pure silver consisting of abundant {111}-oriented crystallites. These Ag dendrites formed on a commercially available tin-doped indium oxide electrode could also be easily transferred onto other desired surfaces, making their application in SERS measurements more versatile.