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PreprintCC BYChemRxiv

Cost-effective nanorough black nickel-based SERS substrates with statistically validated spatial uniformity

  • Arya Soltaneshagh1,2
  • Hanna Maltanava1,2
  • Roman Levin1,2
  • Jari T.T. Leskinen3,2
  • Sari Suvanto4,2
  • Aleksandr Saushin1,2
  • Sergei Malykhin1,2
  • Polina Kuzhir1,2
  • Nikita Belko1,2
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Physics and Mathematics
  2. 2University of Eastern Finland
  3. 3Department of Technical Physics
  4. 4Department of Chemistry and Sustainable Technology
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Abstract

Reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates must combine high enhancement with spatially uniform and reproducible responses. Here, hierarchical rough black nickel (b-Ni) substrates were fabricated by electrodeposition and acid etching and coated with Ag or Au layers (5–50 nm). Their SERS performance was systematically evaluated using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) and large-area Raman mapping (1.5 × 1.5 mm 2 ; 900 spectra per substrate), supported by statistical analysis of signal intensity, spatial variability, response distribution, and inter-band correlation. Metrics included median signed band areas, relative standard deviation (RSD), the median absolute deviation (MAD)-based coefficient of variation, the contribution of the 10% highest-response positions to the total positive response, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Ag-coated b-Ni substrates exhibited substantially stronger and more spatially uniform enhancement than Au-coated substrates, with performance increasing with Ag thickness. The 50 nm b-Ni/Ag architecture provided the optimal combination of signal strength and spatial reproducibility. Control experiments with bare b-Ni and flat Ag and Au films deposited on polished silicon confirmed that the enhancement arises from the synergistic effect of hierarchical b-Ni micro/nanoroughness and the plasmonic noble-metal coating. These results establish Ag-coated b-Ni as a simple, low-cost, and scalable platform for robust SERS measurements, reducing the need for extensive spatial screening.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{soltaneshagh2026costeffective,
  title = {{Cost-effective nanorough black nickel-based SERS substrates with statistically validated spatial uniformity}},
  author = {Arya Soltaneshagh and Hanna Maltanava and Roman Levin and Jari T.T. Leskinen and Sari Suvanto and Aleksandr Saushin and Sergei Malykhin and Polina Kuzhir and Nikita Belko},
  howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010964/v1},
  url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010964/v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Cost-effective nanorough black nickel-based SERS substrates with statistically validated spatial uniformity
AU  - Arya Soltaneshagh
AU  - Hanna Maltanava
AU  - Roman Levin
AU  - Jari T.T. Leskinen
AU  - Sari Suvanto
AU  - Aleksandr Saushin
AU  - Sergei Malykhin
AU  - Polina Kuzhir
AU  - Nikita Belko
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
PB  - ChemRxiv
DO  - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010964/v1
UR  - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010964/v1
AB  - Reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates must combine high enhancement with spatially uniform and reproducible responses. Here, hierarchical rough black nickel (b-Ni) substrates were fabricated by electrodeposition and acid etching and coated with Ag or Au layers (5–50 nm). Their SERS performance was systematically evaluated using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) and large-area Raman mapping (1.5 × 1.5 mm 2 ; 900 spectra per substrate), supported by statistical analysis of signal intensity, spatial variability, response distribution, and inter-band correlation. Metrics included median signed band areas, relative standard deviation (RSD), the median absolute deviation (MAD)-based coefficient of variation, the contribution of the 10% highest-response positions to the total positive response, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Ag-coated b-Ni substrates exhibited substantially stronger and more spatially uniform enhancement than Au-coated substrates, with performance increasing with Ag thickness. The 50 nm b-Ni/Ag architecture provided the optimal combination of signal strength and spatial reproducibility. Control experiments with bare b-Ni and flat Ag and Au films deposited on polished silicon confirmed that the enhancement arises from the synergistic effect of hierarchical b-Ni micro/nanoroughness and the plasmonic noble-metal coating. These results establish Ag-coated b-Ni as a simple, low-cost, and scalable platform for robust SERS measurements, reducing the need for extensive spatial screening.
ER  -