Raman scattering and plasmonic photocatalysis of single particles of NaYF4:Yb,Er@Ag under near-infrared laser excitation†
Abstract
This study has investigated the plasmonic photocatalytic ability of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and the significantly improved Raman achieved by decorating them on a single NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion (UC) microcrystal under near-infrared excitation. This points to new applications for UC-noble metal composites and promises a novel method for constructing SERS-active nanostructures.