Ag Nanocrystals Intercalated Muscovite Mesocrystal for Large-Scale 3D SERS

Plasmonic nanocrystals represent one of the most fascinating emerging research fields and hold great promise for a wide range of new applications, including surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and plasmon-related devices. Here, we present a mesocrystal consisting of 3D Ag nanocrystals (NCs) with the same orientation intercalated in a 2D muscovite crystal via a two-step hydrothermal process for a novel SERS platform. The fabricated Ag NCs/mica mesocrystal possesses high crystallinity, uniform size, and extensive distribution to benefit the SERS-active plasmon area and strong plasmon resonance in the visible spectral range. Furthermore, the SERS application potential was demonstrated through Raman spectra of crystal violet and rhodamine 6G molecules on a Ag NCs/mica mesocrystal with detection limits as low as 10^-6 and 10^-7 M. This work presents a 3D platform with large-scale uniform hot spots and cost-effectiveness for SERS applications, laying a solid foundation for further investigations into 3D plasmonic nanostructures.