| Abstract: | Adsorption of 4,4′‐thiobisbenzenethiol (4,4′‐TBBT) on a colloidal silver surface and a roughened silver electrode surface was investigated by means of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for the first time, which indicates that 4,4′‐TBBT is chemisorbed on the colloidal silver surface as dithiolates by losing two H‐atoms of the S H bond, while as monothiolates on the roughened silver electrode. The different orientations of the molecules on both silver surfaces indicate the different adsorption behaviors of 4,4′‐TBBT in the two systems. It is inferred from the SERS signal that the two aromatic rings in 4,4′‐TBBT molecule are parallel to the colloidal silver surface as seen from the disappearance of νC H band (3054 cm−1), which is a vibrational mode to be used to determine the orientation of a molecule on metals according to the surface selection rule, while on the roughened silver electrode surface they are tilted to the surface as seen from the enhanced signal of νC H. The orientation of the C‐S bond is tilted with respect to the silver surface in both cases as inferred from the strong enhancement of the νC S. SERS spectra of 4,4′‐TBBT on the roughened silver electrode with different applied potentials reveal that the enhancement of 4,4′‐TBBT on the roughened silver electrode surface may be related to the chemical mechanism (CM). More importantly, the adsorption of 4,4′‐TBBT on the silver electrode is expected to be useful to covalently adsorb metal nanoparticles through the free S H bond to form two‐ or three‐ dimensional nanostructures. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
