Inkjet printing technique is exploited for the synthesis of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) patterned on electrochemically etched silicon-based substrates. The nanostructure morphology, here analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, is dictated by the ink composition and the printing parameters. Under suitable excitation conditions, resonant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performed on such metal-dielectric nanostructures can approach single-molecule detection as recently demonstrated on silvered porous silicon synthesized by immersion plating.
Pacs: 78.67.Bf; 78.30.-j.
Keywords: Inkjet printing; Organic dyes; Plasmonic nanoparticles; Porous silicon; Surface-enhanced Raman scattering.