Silver mask-mediated synthesis and plasmonic nanoparticle decoration of ZnO nanosheaves

Dubkov, Sergey, Gromov, Dmitry, Dronova, Daria, Malahov, Nikita, Novikov, Denis, Tarasov, Andrey, Gavrilov, Sergey, Skryleva, Elena, Murashka, Valeryia, Koshkarova, Veronika and Bandarenka, Hanna V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4254-8261 2025. Silver mask-mediated synthesis and plasmonic nanoparticle decoration of ZnO nanosheaves. Journal of Composites Science 9 (12) , 686. 10.3390/jcs9120686

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Abstract

first_page settings Order Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Silver Mask-Mediated Synthesis and Plasmonic Nanoparticle Decoration of ZnO Nanosheaves by Sergey Dubkov 1 [ORCID] , Dmitry Gromov 1 [ORCID] , Daria Dronova 1 [ORCID] , Nikita Malahov 1, Denis Novikov 1 [ORCID] , Andrey Tarasov 1 [ORCID] , Sergey Gavrilov 1 [ORCID] , Elena Skryleva 2 [ORCID] , Valeryia Murashka 3, Veronika Koshkarova 3 and Hanna V. Bandarenka 3,4,* [ORCID] 1 Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies, National Research University “Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology” (MIET), Zelenograd, Moscow 124498, Russia 2 Department of Materials Science of Semiconductors and Dielectrics, University of Science and Technology “Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys” (MISiS), Moscow 119049, Russia 3 Applied Plasmonics Laboratory, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 220013 Minsk, Belarus 4 Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. J. Compos. Sci. 2025, 9(12), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9120686 Submission received: 6 October 2025 / Revised: 5 December 2025 / Accepted: 8 December 2025 / Published: 10 December 2025 (This article belongs to the Section Nanocomposites) Download keyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract Wide band gap (WBG) oxide and metal nanocomposites can possess bifunctionality from combining tightly coupled nanoobjects with different physicochemical properties. Adjusting synthesis conditions tunes these properties through modulating the process–morphology–function relationship. However, the controllable synthesis of such nanocomposites and their related applications are still underexplored. Here, we present a novel process flow to synthesize crystalline ZnO nanosheaves dotted with silver nanoparticles. The uniqueness of our strategy lies in the use of a silver mask for vertical growth of ZnO nanosheaves and thermal evaporating/dewetting Ag film to form a photocatalytic/plasmonic heterostructure. Upon combining a huge specific surface area and nanocrystallinity of ZnO nanosheaves, we enabled its surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-activity free of plasmonic components, yet their Ag modification resulted in improving detection limit in relation to Ellman’s reagent. Ag/ZnO nanosheaves showed dramatic photocatalytic activity to clean SERS-active surface. The systematic approach to synthesize Ag/ZnO heterostructure holds great promise in practical applications associated with interest in both photocatalytic and plasmonic properties.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Physics and Astronomy
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2504-477X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	8 December 2025
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2026 21:51
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188410

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