Nanowires and structures have potential applications to various fields and technologies including integrated circuits, solar cell efficiency, and spectroscopy. Silver nanowires currently being synthesized by ferroelectric lithography at the University of North Carolina Asheville are wiped clean from the periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) after characterization so the substrates may be reused. By encasing the wires in epoxy, they may be preserved and analyzed at a later date. These wires are important because of their potential for spatially dependant Raman scattering enhancement. It is hypothesized that due to the nanoscale curvature of the silver the Raman scattering will be enhanced significantly in the interstice between silver nanoparticles. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has proven effective in encasing the silver nanoparticles without damaging the crystal substrates. This silicone based epoxy is optically clear and flexible, both convenient traits when testing spatially dependant characteristics. However, application of the PDMS has previously disturbed the relative positions of the nanoparticles. Several methods have been employed to eliminate this disturbance by using molds and varying pour and cure techniques. Once the wires have been removed from the substrate with their relative placement preserved, they will be analyzed as possible tunable substrates for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering; potentially useful for single molecule spectroscopy.
