Biomedical subjects

Masayuki Futamata

Publications and source records attributed to Masayuki Futamata.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Single molecule sensitivity in SERS: importance of junction of adjacent Ag nanoparticles.

An enormous SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) signal from dye and adenine on hot or blinking silver nanoparticles is extinguished by duration of measurement possibly due to thermal diffusion or desorption of adsorbed molecules. Simultaneously, the elastic scattering peak at ca. 630 nm disappears. The Three-dimensional Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD-3D) method manifests this scattering peak as originating from enhanced coupling of localized surface plasmon (LSP) on adjacent Ag particles through absorption of adspecies located at their junction. Distinct emission peaks were observed at 550-600 nm and 600-750 nm. Based on the spectral variations for different surface coverage and for different dye species, the shorter and longer wavelength peaks were attributed to excited electrons on metal, and from fluorescence of molecules, respectively. Furthermore, we found the shorter wavelength peak shows invariant Stokes shift irrespective of excitation wavelengths, indicating it arises from inelastic scattering of excited electron by surface roughness or by adsorbed molecules.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Apertureless tip-enhanced Raman microscopy with confocal epi-illumination/collection optics.

It is demonstrated that confocal epi-illumination/collection optics can be effectively used to generate surface-enhanced Raman scattering at the near-field region of a gold-coated tip for an atomic force microscope operated in semi-contact tapping mode. When the tip, with a 50-nm apex radius, was illuminated by a highly focused laser beam at 532 nm and approached the isolated diamond particle, with a size of approximately 1 microm, the Raman signal was enhanced by approximately 10(3). This result is in good agreement with numerical simulations performed by the finite difference time-domain method. Since our apertureless microscope is based on readily available conventional components, there is wide room for improvements and modifications by common users in various applications of micro-Raman analysis.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy of carboxyl terminated self-assembled monolayers on gold.

A new recipe for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) active island Au films with improved adhesion in aqueous solution, low resistivity, and enhancement of the infrared (IR) absorption of about 300 was developed. The Au films prepared were utilized in studies of the ionization of self-assembled monolayers of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid in Na2SO4 aqueous solutions by attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption (ATR-SEIRA) spectroscopy. It was found that the carboxyl end groups of the self-assembled monolayer turn into carboxylate anions on going from anodic to cathodic potentials or from acidic to alkaline pH. The water molecules close to the self-assembled monolayer in acidic solutions or at anodic potentials are preferentially aligned with their dipole moments parallel to the interface. This type of alignment can be ascribed to the dipole-dipole interaction between the carboxyl groups and the water molecules. On the other hand, in alkaline solutions or at cathodic potentials the structure of water close to the self-assembled monolayer is essentially bulk-like, with randomly oriented water molecules. This observation suggests that in alkaline solutions or at cathodic potentials the charge of the carboxylate anions is almost completely compensated for by strongly adsorbed counter cations. As a result, the electric field close to the surface of the ionized self-assembled monolayer is weak and has little influence on the orientation and hydrogen bonding of the water molecules.

Carbon Dioxide↗

PubMed2002

Highly efficient and aberration-corrected spectrometer for advanced Raman spectroscopy.

We designed an asymmetric Czerny-Turner-type spectrometer with a spectral resolution of approximately 1 cm(-1) and a focal length of 500 mm (F/4.1) to improve the aberration properties: (1) coma aberration was corrected by use of a particular incident angle for a condensing mirror based onShafer's equation, (2) astigmatism was corrected by use of a toroidal condensing mirror, (3) the optimum distance was found between a grating and condensing mirror so that the centered light and marginal light at the detector possess the same incident angles to the condensing mirror (the aberration is therefore excellently corrected over the whole detector surfaces), and (4) these optimal configurations are ensured in a wide wavelength between 400 and 800 nm by use of gratings with different grooves. Then the spectrometer was constructed, and the excellent optical properties were confirmed with aligned fiber images and Raman spectra from copper phthalocyanine.

Journal Article↗