Single-Molecule Chemistry with Surface- and Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Single-molecule (SM) surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) have emerged as analytical techniques for characterizing molecular systems in nanoscale environments. SERS and TERS use plasmonically enhanced Raman scattering to characterize the chemical information on single molecules. Additionally, TERS can image single molecules with subnanometer spatial resolution. In this review, we cover the development and history of SERS and TERS, including the concept of SERS hot spots and the plasmonic nanostructures necessary for SM detection, the past and current methodologies for verifying SMSERS, and investigations into understanding the signal heterogeneities observed…

• DO
  Division of Graduate Education

  Award: DGE-0824162
• DO
  Division of Chemistry

  Awards: CHE-1414466, CHE-1506683
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences

  Award: DE-FG02-09ER16109
• AF
  Air Force Office of Scientific Research

  Award: FA9550-14-1-0003