Generation of surface nanostructures on nickel by liquid-phase laser ablation and their surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity

Surface nanostructuring of nickel by ablation with 350-ps Nd:YAG laser pulses in ethanol has been studied experimentally. The morphology of the nanostructured surface has been examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The average lateral size of the surface nanostructures is 30 — 50 nm. The nanostructured surface has been coated with gold using a chemical deposition procedure. The gold-coated substrate has shown surface-enhanced Raman scattering with an enhancement factor of 10⁸. Potential applications of such nanostructured targets are discussed.