Surface enhanced Raman scattering of pyridine at copper electrodes excited with a 514.5 nm line

Weak surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with enhancement factors G of only 20–40 for pyridine adsorbed at a copper electrode have been observed using a 514.5 nm excitation line. A comparative study on the intensity-potential profiles excited at 514.5 and 632.8 nm has been completed on the same electrode system. This indicates that the charge transfer mechanism is the main contributor to this weak SERS effect. This preliminary study should spur further experimental and theoretical work beneficial to a complete quantitative understanding of the SERS mechanism.