Anchoring molecular chromophores to colloidal gold nanocrystals: surface-enhanced Raman evidence for strong electronic coupling and irreversible structural locking.

ABSTRACT: High-affinity anchoring groups such as isothiocyanate (ITC, -N═C═S) are often used to attach organic chromophores (reporter molecules) to colloidal gold nanocrystals for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), to atomically smooth gold surfaces for tip-enhanced Raman scattering, and to scanning tunneling microscopy probes (nanosized electrodes) for single-molecule conductance measurements. However, it is still unclear how the attached molecules interact electronically with the underlying surface, and how the anchoring group might affect the electronic and optical properties of such nanoscale systems. Here we report systematic surface-enhanced Raman studies of two organic chromophores, malachite green (MG) and its ITC derivative (MGITC), that have very different functional groups for surf

SUBMITTER: Qian X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3412403 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature