Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates based on chemical mechanism (CM) have received widespread attentions for the stable and repeatable signal output due to their excellent chemical stability, uniform molecular adsorption and controllable molecular orientation. However, it remains huge challenges to achieve the optimal SERS signal for diverse molecules with different band structures on the same substrate. Herein, we demonstrate a graphene oxide (GO) energy band regulation strategy through ferroelectric polarization to facilitate the charge transfer process for improving SERS activity. The Fermi level (E_f) of GO can be flexibly manipulated by adjusting the ferroelectric polarization direction or the temperature of the ferroelectric substrate. Experimentally, kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is employed to quantitatively analyze the E_f of GO. Theoretically, the density functional theory calculations are also performed to verify the proposed modulation mechanism. Consequently, the SERS response of probe molecules with different band structures (R6G, CV, MB, PNTP) can be improved through polarization direction or temperature changes without the necessity to redesign the SERS substrate. This work provides a novel insight into the SERS substrate design based on CM and is expected to be applied to other two-dimensional materials.

The distribution of metal nanoparticles on the surface of a surface enhancement Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrate plays a prominent part in not only the enhancement of Raman vibration signal, but also the spectrum uniformity. Here, a facile method to fabricate SERS substrates with excellent homogeneity and low cost was proposed, in which a lyotropic liquid crystal soft template was introduced for the coordinated growth of the silver nanoflowers in the process of electrochemistry deposition. Simulation was carried out to illustrate the dominated influence of the distance of electrodes on the deposited nanoparticle number. Two kinds of conductive materials, silver plate and indium tin oxide (ITO) glass, were chosen as the anode, while the cathode was fixed as ITO glass. The simulated conjecture on the effect of electrode flatness on the uniformity of deposited nanoparticles in silver is experimentally proved. More importantly, it was demonstrated that with a relatively smooth and flat ITO glass anode, a SERS substrate featuring higher spectrum uniformity could be achieved. This work is of great significance to the actual applications of the SERS substrate for quantitative detection with high sensitivity.