In-situ electrochemical shell-isolated Ag nanoparticles-enhanced Raman spectroscopy study of adenine adsorption on smooth Ag electrodes

Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) is employed to investigate the electrochemical behavior of adenine molecules on smooth Ag electrodes. To attain this goal, pinhole-free shell-isolated Ag nanoparticles (Ag SHINs) have been synthesized and then used as signal “amplifiers” in the gap-mode configuration (Ag SHINs are coupled with a Ag electrode surface). The as-prepared Ag SHINs exhibit remarkable plasmonic performance under 488, 532, and 633 nm excitations as revealed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and SHINERS experiments. Furthermore, wavelength-dependent SHINERS investigation of adenine on Ag electrodes is excellently combined with the electrochemical technique. With outstanding chemical stability and plasmonic property, the Ag SHINs are extraordinarily suitable for fundamental studies at various electrochemical interfaces.