Surface‐enhanced fluorescence of in situ synthesized polysilanesilver nanoparticles

To produce surface plasmons, silver nanoparticles are synthesized in situ in a pseudo‐template system based on polyhydrosilanes. Adsorption on the silver nanoparticle surface produces a thin layer of polymer with properties different from those of bulk polysilane. The metal‐adsorbed polymer layer serves as a spacer between the polysilane fluorophore and the plasmonic nanoparticle. This prevents quenching of the polysilane emission and leads to a strong surface‐enhanced fluorescence through coupling of surface plasmons having a resonance frequency that matches the emission frequency of the polymeric emitter.