Fabrication of rice-like gold nanoparticles and application in surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

A simple method for the synthesis of rice-like gold nanoparticles using gold nanorods (GNRs) as precursors in the aqueous phase was exploited. The method used in this work involves eroding GNRs with potassium ferricyanide in the aqueous phase. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands of the resulting nanoparticles present a notable blue-shift from 670 to 570 nm with increasing amounts of potassium ferricyanide, and subsequently the shape of the resulting nanoparticles can be readily controlled. Most importantly, the SPR response is an almost linear function of the quantity of potassium ferricyanide added. The synthesis of the resulting nanoparticles with various aspect ratios has been extensively studied and is well established. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensity enhancement of the adsorbate on the surface of these gold nanoparticles was also studied.