Silver nanowires grown using ferroelectric lithography are studied on a theoretical basis to determine their viability as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) substrates, in regards to the tunable control of their size, separation, and locations that could result in spatial variability in the SERS enhancement factor. Raman Spectroscopy is an inelastic scattering spectroscopic technique that is used to observe the vibrational modes in a system to identify and characterize an analyte. In order to enhance the normally weak effects of the Raman Scattering we employ SERS, a surface-sensitive technique that enhances scattering through the absorption of molecules on rough metal surfaces or nanostructures, like the ferroelectric lithographic silver nanowires currently being created at UNC Asheville. SERS has been shown to enhance Raman intensity by as much as 1010, potentially making single molecule detection possible. Through review of the literature, choice of analyte, appropriate nanowire sizes for SERS, illumination wavelength, and excepted enhancement factor are investigated. This review will facilitate the future observation of spatially dependent surface enhancement of an analyte, like pyridine or Rhodamine 6G, between silver nanowires on the Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) substrates using Raman Spectroscopy. This work might lead to devices that can accurately detect and isolate single molecules or very low concentration solutions in a structure or sample, which have numerous applications in homeland defense and DNA sequencing.
