Coupling of multiple plasma polarization modes in particles–multilayer film system for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Abstract

Since localized surface plasmon (LSP) is capable of generating strong electromagnetic fields, it has achieved extensive applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). As opposed to this, surface plasmon polariton (SPP) has been rarely employed for its weak electric field enhancement. The present study proposed an Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and multilayer Au/Al2O3 film (MLF) hybrid system, acting as an efficient SERS substrate by coupling LSPs and SPPs resonances. The dispersion relationship indicates that the light scattered by the AgNPs excites the SPP in the MLF, while the electric field is bound to the Au/Al2O3 interface and is significantly enhanced. As revealed from the simulated results, SPPs were generated in the MLF and then coupled with each other to generate a bulk plasmon polariton (BPP). As impacted by BPP, the electric fields stimulated by LSP displayed a dramatic increase. Besides, the electric field exhibited increased intensity with the layer of film. As rhodamine 6G (R6G) and malachite green (MG) were employed as the probe molecules, the AgNPs/MLF hybrid structure demonstrated highly sensitive SERS performance, complying with the theoretical simulations. Specific to the mentioned SERS substrate, R6G and MG had the limit of detection of 1.2 × 10−10M and 7.9 × 10−9M, respectively, demonstrating the prominent prospects of the NPs/MLF hybrid structure in SERS.