morphology dependence on surface-enhanced raman scattering using gold nanorod arrays consisting of agglomerated nanoparticles

Highly ordered arrays of vertically aligned au nanorod arrays consisting of agglomerated nanoparticles are fabricated by porous anodic aluminum oxide (aao) template-assisted electrochemical deposition. the au nanorod arrays with rough surfaces are then transformed to smooth surfaces by a subsequent thermal annealing step. the surface-enhanced raman scattering (sers) intensity of the au nanorod arrays with rough and smooth surfaces was compared to investigate the morphology dependence of sers. the au nanorod arrays with agglomerated structures demonstrated a highly active sers effect as abundant nanogaps are created uniformly by combination of hot spots caused by both agglomerated porous structures on each nanorod and inter-rod gaps.