2026-04-27T21:53:27Zhttps://uvadoc.uva.es/oai/request

oai:uvadoc.uva.es:10324/818702026-04-09T07:40:04Zcom_10324_1158com_10324_931com_10324_894col_10324_1242

Unraveling the mechanism of photo-induced surface enhanced Raman scattering on ZnO/Au thin films Tran, Van Tan Le, Minh Phuong Pham, Nguyen Hai Nguyen, Viet Tuyen Pham, Thi Hong Sai, Cong Doanh Nguyen, Quang Hoa Pham, Van Thanh Nguyen, Thanh Binh Nguyen, Trong Tam Ngac, An Bang Martínez Sacristán, Óscar Tran, Thi Ha Producción Científica Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful technique for detecting pollutants. Recent studies have shown that the sensitivity of SERS can be further improved by using appropriate light excitation before or during Raman measurements, a phenomenon known as photo-induced enhanced Raman scattering (PIERS). In this study, we developed a highly sensitive SERS substrate by fabricating a ZnO/Au thin film using radio frequency magnetron sputtering and post-annealing processes. The resulting substrate exhibited high crystallinity and high sensitivity for pollutant detection. The study found that in situ UV excitation significantly enhanced the Raman signal, up to 5.5 times more efficiently than the traditional SERS technique. The excitation process was reversible, leading to a quick recovery of the Raman intensity to its initial level when the UV excitation was turned off. This relaxation process is attributed to the recombination of electrons and holes. The investigation shows that ZnO/Au thin films was able to detect fungicide thiram with a limit of detection of 10 8 M. PIER also helps to lower the detection threshold down to 10 9 M. 2026-01-20T12:21:13Z 2026-01-20T12:21:13Z 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Applied Surface Science, 2024, vol. 657, pp.159785 0169-4332 https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/81870 10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.159785 159785 657 Applied Surface Science 657 eng https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169433224004987?via%3Dihub info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Elsevier Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Elsevier SI