Simultaneous synthesis and assembly of silver nanoparticles to three-demensional superstructures for sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection.

Construction of superstructures with controllable morphologies from NPs is of great scientific and technological importance. A one-step method for simultaneous synthesis and assembly of Ag NPs to three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous superstructures is demonstrated. By varying the adsorption time of Ag precursors, an array of well-defined Ag superstructures with different morphologies are harvested. A "hot spot"-rich substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is established, which exhibits high sensitivity in trace detection of molecules. It is believed that the presented 3D nanoporous Ag superstructures hold great potential for various uses, such as novel multifunctional sensing and monitoring chips or devices.