Synthesis, characterization, and experimental investigation of surface activity of SERS substrates using neodymium oxide (Nd sub(2)O sub(3))

The activity of two surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates was investigated using neodymium oxide (Nd sub(2)O sub(3)) molecules. Colloidal silver solution, containing nano-sized silver particles and silver-coated filter papers were used as the SERS substrates. In order to characterize the substrates, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and scanning electron microscopy were used. Subsequently, gain enhancement factors were calculated from the measured spectra to monitor the change in effectiveness of the SERS substrates under prolonged storage time. Experimental results show that for enhancing the Raman signal, the activity of two fabricated substrates is very effective.