The present study
introduces a novel method for the synthesis of
magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles (MPNPs) with enhanced functionality
for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. By employing
pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) to synthesize plasmonic nanoparticles
and wet chemistry to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles, we successfully
fabricated chemically pure hybrid Fe
3
O
4
@Au and
Fe
3
O
4
@Ag nanoparticles. We demonstrated a straightforward
approach of an electrostatic attachment of the plasmonic and magnetic
parts using positively charged polyethylenimine. The MPNPs displayed
high SERS sensitivity and reproducibility, and the magnetic part allowed
for the controlled separation of the nanoparticles from the reaction
mixture, their subsequent concentration, and their precise deposition
onto a specified surface area. Additionally, we fabricated alloy based
MPNPs from Ag
x
Au
100–
x
(
x
= 50 and 80 wt %) targets with
distinct localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelengths. The
compositions, morphologies, and optical properties of the nanoparticles
were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis
spectroscopy, and multiwavelength Raman spectroscopy. A standard SERS
marker, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA), validated the enhancement
properties of the MPNPs and found an enhancement factor of 2 ×
10
8
for the Fe
3
O
4
@Ag nanoparticles
at 633 nm excitation. Lastly, we applied MPNP-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
for the analysis of the biologically relevant molecule adenine and
found a limit of detection of 10
–7
M at 785 nm excitation.
The integration of PLAL and wet chemical methods enabled the relatively
fast and cost-effective production of MPNPs characterized by high
SERS sensitivity and signal reproducibility that are required in various
fields, including biomedicine, food safety, materials science, security,
and defense.