Hydrogen Treatment of a Plasmon Resonance Sensor

Authors A.G. Vasiljev1 , T.A. Vasyliev1 , T.P. Doroshenko2
Affiliations

1Institute of High Technologies, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 4G, Academician Glushkov Ave., 03127 Kyiv, Ukraine

2V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics NAS of Ukraine, 41, Prospect Nauki, 03028 Kyiv, Ukraine

Е-mail a.g.vasiliev56@gmail.com
Issue Volume 12, Year 2020, Number 6
Dates Received August 2020; revised manuscript received 16 December 2020; published online 25 December 2020
Citation A.G. Vasiljev, T.A. Vasyliev, et al., J. Nano- Electron. Phys. 12 No 6, 06011 (2020)
DOI https://doi.org/10.21272/jnep.12(6).06011
PACS Number(s) 73.20.Mf, 66.30.jt, 66.30.jp, 78.90. + t
Keywords Electrolysis, Hydrogen treatment, Hydrogen diffusion, Surface plasmon resonance.
Annotation

The effect of hydrogen on a surface plasmon resonance sensor was studied. The sensor is a glass plate of 1 mm thickness with a gold film applied to one surface. To increase the adhesion of the gold film on the glass a thin chromium interlayer between the gold film and the glass plate was applied. Thickness of the chromium layer was 5 nm. The thickness of the gold film was 50 nm. Hydrogen treatment was performed by means of electrolysis in a 10 % water solution of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The surface of the gold film served as the cathode. Electrolysis lasted for 6 min. At room temperature due to electrolysis, the gold film was saturated with water. During the hydrogen treatment of the sensor, constant electric currents were maintained. A series of samples were treated with different electrolysis currents (50-2 A). The influence of the proton flux density to the surface of the gold film on the properties of the surface plasmon resonance sensor was studied. For this purpose, the proton flux density during hydrogen treatment was changed from 8.861013 to 3.471012 1/(cm2s). Optical properties of treated and untreated sensors were studied experimentally by means of Plasmon-5 spectrometer. Hydrogen treatment changed the optical properties of the surface plasmon resonance sensor over time after hydrogen treatment. The biggest changes occurred during the first days, which gradually slowed down. It was established that after hydrogen treatment the surface plasmon resonance curve was shifted in the direction of larger angles in comparison with the case of an untreated sensor. It was also found that treatment with large fluxes of protons is less effective in changing the optical properties of the sensor than with smaller ones.

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