Surface enhanced raman scattering in graphene quantum dots grown via electrochemical process

Abstract

Graphene Quantum dots (GQDs) are used as a surface-enhanced Raman substrate for detecting target molecules with large specific surface areas and more accessible edges to enhance the signal of target molecules. The electrochemical process is used to synthesize GQDs in the solution-based process from which the SERS signals were obtained from GQDs Raman spectra. In this work, GQDs were grown via the electrochemical process with citric acid and potassium chloride (KCl) electrolyte solution to obtain GQDs in a colloidal solution-based format. Then, GQDs were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. From the results, SERS signals had observed via GQDs spectra through the Raman spectra at D (1326 cm−1 ) and G (1584 cm−1 ), in which D intensity is defined as the presence of defects on GQDs and G is the sp2 orbital of carbon signal. The increasing concentration of KCl in the electrolyte solution for 0.15M to 0.60M demonstrated the increment of Raman intensity at the D peak of GQDs up to 100 over the D peak of graphite. This result reveals the potential feasibility of GQDs as SERS applications compared to graphite signals.