Controlling the shape of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) is very difficult. In the present work, urchin Ag NPs with different sizes and pod length control have been synthesized successfully in high yield by the concentration of a reducing agent. Unique Ag NPs were observed by TEM and SEM. These nanocrystals exhibit tunable surface plasmon resonance properties from the visible to near-infrared regions. They were applied to surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates using rhodamine 6G (R6G), benzenethiol (BT), and 4-amino benznethiol (4-ABT) molecules. The enhanced local field effect due to the sharp pod length, size, and surface plasmon of the urchin Ag NPs resulted in enhanced SERS properties and can serve as high-sensitivity substrates for SERS measurements.

The facile synthesis of shape-controlled Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) with ascorbic acid as a reducing agent and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a capping agent is presented in this study. The synthesized PdNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman Spectroscopy. The prepared PdNPs show efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties. SERS studies on the adsorption characteristics of 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide (1,4-PDI) on colloidal PdNPs have revealed that the relative peak intensity of the (NC)_free and (NC)_bound modes distinctly depends on the 1,4-PDI concentration as well as the shape of the PdNPs. Furthermore, we found that the PdNPs are also efficient photoelectron emitters such that the SERS spectrum of 4-nitrobenzenethiol (4-NBT) on PdNPs is readily converted to that of 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) under 632.8 nm radiation.

Nanoscale gold particles have been intensively researched due to their potential applications in catalysis, electronics, plasmonics, and biological assays. In our study, we fabricated gold nanoparticles (NPs) that were synthesized in an aqueous environment via the reduction of HAuCl4 by ascorbic acid (AC) with a sodium citrate (SC) surfactant. Highly monodispersed gold particles with sizes ranging from 123 to 184 nm were prepared in high-yield by a surfactant concentration. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The prepared nanoparticles exhibited efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties that were dependent on their on size.