1
|
Zhang H, Yang L, Zhang M, Wei H, Tong L, Xu H, Li Z. A Statistical Route to Robust SERS Quantitation Beyond the Single-Molecule Level. NANO LETTERS 2024. [PMID: 39116042 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SM-SERS) holds great potential to revolutionize ultratrace quantitative analysis. However, achieving quantitative SM-SERS is challenging because of strong intensity fluctuation and blinking characteristics. In this study, we reveal the relation P = 1 - e-α between the statistical SERS probability P and the microscopic average molecule number α in SERS spectra, which lays the physical foundation for a statistical route to implement SM-SERS quantitation. Utilizing SERS probability calibration, we achieve quantitative SERS analysis with batch-to-batch robustness, extremely wide detection range of concentration covering 9 orders of magnitude, and ultralow detection limit far below the single-molecule level. These results indicate the physical feasibility of robust SERS quantitation through statistical route and certainly open a new avenue for implementing SERS as a practical analysis tool in various application scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure (NPNS), Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Longkun Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure (NPNS), Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure (NPNS), Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Hong Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lianming Tong
- Center for Nano-chemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hongxing Xu
- School of Physics and Technology and Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Wuhan Institute of Quantum Technology, Wuhan 430206, China
- School of Microelectronics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Zhipeng Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure (NPNS), Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hao Q, Chen Y, Wei Y, Li G, Tang X, Chen D, Zhu X, Yao L, Zhao X, Li M, Wang J, Fan X, Qiu T. Mechanism Switch in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering: The Role of Nanoparticle Dimensions. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:7183-7190. [PMID: 38968427 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is renowned for amplifying Raman signals, with electromagnetic mechanism (EM) enhancement arising from localized surface plasmon resonances and chemical mechanism (CM) enhancement as a result of charge transfer interactions. Despite the conventional emphasis on EM as a result of plasmonic effects, recent findings highlight the significance of CM when noble metals appear as smaller entities. However, the threshold size of the noble metal clusters/particles corresponding to the switch in SERS mechanisms is not clear at present. In this work, the VSe2-xOx/Au composites with different Au sizes are employed, in which a clear view of the SERS mechanism switch is observed at the Au size range of 16-21 nm. Our findings not only provide insight into the impact of noble metal size on SERS efficiency but also offer quantitative data to assist researchers in making informed judgments when analyzing SERS mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Hao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Yijing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunjia Wei
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoqun Li
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Dexiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangnan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Yao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingze Li
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiawei Wang
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingce Fan
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| | - Teng Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhao X, Liu X, Chen D, Shi G, Li G, Tang X, Zhu X, Li M, Yao L, Wei Y, Song W, Sun Z, Fan X, Zhou Z, Qiu T, Hao Q. Plasmonic trimers designed as SERS-active chemical traps for subtyping of lung tumors. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5855. [PMID: 38997298 PMCID: PMC11245553 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50321-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmonic materials can generate strong electromagnetic fields to boost the Raman scattering of surrounding molecules, known as surface-enhanced Raman scattering. However, these electromagnetic fields are heterogeneous, with only molecules located at the 'hotspots', which account for ≈ 1% of the surface area, experiencing efficient enhancement. Herein, we propose patterned plasmonic trimers, consisting of a pair of plasmonic dimers at the bilateral sides and a trap particle positioned in between, to address this challenge. The trimer configuration selectively directs probe molecules to the central traps where 'hotspots' are located through chemical affinity, ensuring a precise spatial overlap between the probes and the location of maximum field enhancement. We investigate the Raman enhancement of the Au@Al2O3-Au-Au@Al2O3 trimers, achieving a detection limit of 10-14 M of 4-methylbenzenethiol, 4-mercaptopyridine, and 4-aminothiophenol. Moreover, single-molecule SERS sensitivity is demonstrated by a bi-analyte method. Benefiting from this sensitivity, our approach is employed for the early detection of lung tumors using fresh tissues. Our findings suggest that this approach is sensitive to adenocarcinoma but not to squamous carcinoma or benign cases, offering insights into the differentiation between lung tumor subtypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Xiaojing Liu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266003, PR China
| | - Dexiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Guodong Shi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266003, PR China
| | - Guoqun Li
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Xiao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Xiangnan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Mingze Li
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Lei Yao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Yunjia Wei
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Wenzhe Song
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Zixuan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Xingce Fan
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Zhixin Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China
| | - Teng Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China.
| | - Qi Hao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hung YS, Chang CW, Shen YC, Yu YC, Huang WL, Huang CC. Spectroscopic analyses of particle and energy aggregations at the interface of silver nanoparticles and fluorescent carbon nanodots. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:13987-13996. [PMID: 37466382 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr01695a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
We study the change in the surface electromagnetic field provided by photoexcited silver nanoparticles as the field is disturbed by fluorescent carbon nanodots. Fluorescent carbon nanodots with an appropriate quantity and quality of surface functional groups are used to mediate the aggregation of silver nanoparticles of matching size and shape to form available nano-size conical structures. Carbon nanodots in the composite absorb and transfer additional photoenergy to the silver surface, resulting in energy aggregation within the cone structure and enhancement of the electromagnetic field in proximity to the silver surface. This elevated energy state is manifested in the strengthening of the SERS signal of the analytical probe 4-aminophenyl disulfide and the mechanism involved is elucidated by additional molecular spectroscopy studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Shan Hung
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, No. 300, Syuefu Rd., Chiayi City 60004, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Wen Chang
- Department of Chemistry, Tamkang University, No. 151, Yingzhuan Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan.
| | - Yi Chen Shen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, No. 300, Syuefu Rd., Chiayi City 60004, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Chi Yu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, No. 300, Syuefu Rd., Chiayi City 60004, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Lun Huang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, No. 300, Syuefu Rd., Chiayi City 60004, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chi Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Tamkang University, No. 151, Yingzhuan Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yao L, Hao Q, Li M, Fan X, Li G, Tang X, Wei Y, Wang J, Qiu T. Flexible plasmonic nanocavities: a universal platform for the identification of molecular orientations. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:6588-6595. [PMID: 36961297 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr01059g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The molecular orientation provides fundamental images to understand molecular behaviors in chemistry. Herein, we propose and demonstrate sandwich plasmonic nanocavities as a surface-selection ruler to illustrate the molecular orientations by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The field vector in the plasmonic nanocavity presents a transverse spinning feature under specific excitations, allowing the facile modulation of the field polarizations to selectively amplify the Raman modes of the target molecules. It does not require the knowledge of the Raman spectrum of a bare molecule as a standard and thus can be extended as a universal ruler for the identification of molecular orientations. We investigated the most widely used Raman probe, Rhodamine 6G (R6G) on the Au surface and tried to clarify the arguments about its orientations from our perspectives. The experimental results suggest concentration-dependent adsorption configurations of R6G: it adsorbs on Au primarily via an ethylamine group with the xanthene ring lying flatly on the metal surface at low concentrations, and the molecular orientation gradually changes from "flat" to "upright" with the increase of molecular concentrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yao
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Qi Hao
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Mingze Li
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Xingce Fan
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Guoqun Li
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Xiao Tang
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Yunjia Wei
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| | - Jiawei Wang
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Teng Qiu
- School of physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nonlinear Optical Microscopy and Plasmon Enhancement. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12081273. [PMID: 35457978 PMCID: PMC9026522 DOI: 10.3390/nano12081273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Improving nonlinear optics efficiency is currently one of the hotspots in modern optical research. Moreover, with the maturity of nonlinear optical microscope systems, more and more biology, materials, medicine, and other related disciplines have higher imaging resolution and detection accuracy requirements for nonlinear optical microscope systems. Surface plasmons of metal nanoparticle structures could confine strong localized electromagnetic fields in their vicinity to generate a new electromagnetic mode, which has been widely used in surface-enhanced Raman scattering, surface-enhanced fluorescence, and photocatalysis. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of nonlinear optical effects and surface plasmons and also review some recent work on plasmon-enhanced nonlinear optical effects. In addition, we present some latest applications of nonlinear optical microscopy system research.
Collapse
|