Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Nanoparticle Interactions
Summary
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) exploits the amplification of inelastic light scattering by molecules in close proximity to plasmonic nanostructures, principally silver and gold nanoparticles. The enhanced signal arises from intense local electromagnetic fields generated by collective oscillations of conduction electrons—so-called localised surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). When nanoparticles aggregate or are arranged with nanoscale gaps, “hotspots” form that boost Raman cross-sections by several orders of magnitude, allowing detection of single molecules and trace analytes. Recent advances have elucidated molecular binding geometries, charge‐transfer contributions and the effects of nanoparticle composition, shape and interparticle spacing on enhancement factors. Applications span chemical sensing, environmental monitoring and biomedical diagnostics, where SERS platforms enable rapid, label-free fingerprinting of organic species. Integration with computational models further permits deconvolution of electromagnetic and chemical enhancement mechanisms and guides the rational design of substrates with tailored sensitivity and selectivity.
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Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Nanoparticle Interactions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy of nanoparticle interactions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS): Raman scattering technique amplified by plasmonic nanostructures, enabling ultrasensitive detection of molecular vibrations.
Localised Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR): collective oscillation of conduction electrons at the surface of metallic nanoparticles under light excitation, producing strong local electromagnetic fields.
Hotspot: nanoscale junction between closely spaced nanoparticles where electromagnetic fields concentrate, leading to maximal Raman signal enhancement.
Density Functional Theory (DFT): quantum mechanical modelling approach used to predict electronic structure and adsorption behaviour in molecule–metal systems relevant to SERS.
References
- Can DFT Calculations Provide Useful Information for SERS Applications?. Molecules (2023).
- Detection and quantification of antiviral drug tenofovir using silver nanoparticles and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with spatially resolved hotspot selection. Frontiers in Nanotechnology (2023).
- SERS, XPS and DFT Study of Xanthine Adsorbed on Citrate-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles. Sensors (2019).
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