Silver Core Coated with Molecularly Imprinted Polymer as Adsorbent in Pipet-Tip Solid Phase Extraction for Neonicotinoids Determination from Coconut Water

In this work, we report an innovative adsorbent named Ag-MPS@MIP that has a core@shell structure, i.e., silver nanoparticles modified with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane as the core and molecularly imprinted polymer based on methacrylic acid as its shell. Thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid were extracted from coconut water samples using Ag-MPS@MIP in pipet-tip solid phase, prior to high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The separation was carried out on isocratic mode using a mobile phase consisting of C18 column (Phenomenex, 150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), ultrapure water acidified with 0.3% phosphoric acid:acetonitrile (78:22, v/v), flow rate at 1.0 mL min-1, injection volume of 10 μL, temperature of 25 °C, and wavelength at 260 nm. The adsorbent and precursor materials were properly characterized by different instrumental techniques. The main factors affecting the recovery of analytes from coconut water samples by pipet-tip solid phase were optimized, such as sample volume (250 μL), sample pH (pH = 5.0), ionic strength (1%, m/v), washing solvent (300 μL ultrapure water), volume and type of eluent (500 μL methanol), amount of adsorbent (15 mg), cycle of percolation-dispensing (1×), and reuse (5×). Thereby, the neonicotinoids presented extraction recoveries between 82.80 and 96.36%, enrichment factor of 5, linearity ranged from 15 to 4000 ng mL-1, correlation coefficient (r) > 0.99, limit of detection of 5 ng mL-1, satisfactory selectivity, stability, and proper precision (RSD%: 0.52-9.64%) and accuracy (RE%: -5.19-6.45%). The method was successfully applied to real samples of coconut water.

Recent advances in nanoflowers: compositional and structural diversification for potential applications

In recent years, nanoscience and nanotechnology have emerged as promising fields in materials science. Spectroscopic techniques like scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy have revolutionized the characterization, manipulation, and size control of nanomaterials, enabling the creation of diverse materials such as fullerenes, graphene, nanotubes, nanofibers, nanorods, nanowires, nanoparticles, nanocones, and nanosheets. Among these nanomaterials, there has been considerable interest in flower-shaped hierarchical 3D nanostructures, known as nanoflowers. These structures offer advantages like a higher surface-to-volume ratio compared to spherical nanoparticles, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly preparation methods. Researchers have explored various applications of 3D nanostructures with unique morphologies derived from different nanoflowers. The nanoflowers are classified as organic, inorganic and hybrid, and the hybrids are a combination thereof, and most research studies of the nanoflowers have been focused on biomedical applications. Intriguingly, among them, inorganic nanoflowers have been studied extensively in various areas, such as electro, photo, and chemical catalysis, sensors, supercapacitors, and batteries, owing to their high catalytic efficiency and optical characteristics, which arise from their composition, crystal structure, and local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Despite the significant interest in inorganic nanoflowers, comprehensive reviews on this topic have been scarce until now. This is the first review focusing on inorganic nanoflowers for applications in electro, photo, and chemical catalysts, sensors, supercapacitors, and batteries. Since the early 2000s, more than 350 papers have been published on this topic with many ongoing research projects. This review categorizes the reported inorganic nanoflowers into four groups based on their composition and structure: metal, metal oxide, alloy, and other nanoflowers, including silica, metal-metal oxide, core-shell, doped, coated, nitride, sulfide, phosphide, selenide, and telluride nanoflowers. The review thoroughly discusses the preparation methods, conditions for morphology and size control, mechanisms, characteristics, and potential applications of these nanoflowers, aiming to facilitate future research and promote highly effective and synergistic applications in various fields.

Bimetallic Ag-Cu Alloy Microflowers as SERS Substrates with Single-Molecule Detection Limit

Bimetallic Ag-Cu alloy microflowers with tunable surface compositions were fabricated as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates with a limit of detection in the zeptomolar range for the analyte molecule rhodamine 6G (R6G). The substrates were prepared on a glass coverslip through a bottom-up strategy by simple thermolysis of metal-alkyl ammonium halide precursors. The reaction temperature and composition of the alloy were varied sequentially to find out the maximum SERS efficiency from the substrates. While UV-vis spectroscopy was employed to characterize the optical properties of the substrates, the bulk and surface compositions of the microflowers were determined using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques, respectively. Also, the structural and morphological characterizations of the substrates were performed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. For alloys, the ED-XRF studies confirmed that the bulk compositions matched with the feed ratio, while the surface compositions were found to be rich in copper in the form of both elementary copper and copper oxide, as revealed by XPS studies. From the efficiency studies for different compositions prepared, it was found that 10% Ag-Cu alloy microflowers produced the maximum SERS intensity for resonant R6G molecules as probes. In fact, R6G evidences a 50-fold enhancement in SERS spectra with 10% alloy microflowers as against pure Ag microflowers. Using 1, 2, 3-benzotriazole as a nonresonant Raman probe, uniform enhancement factors on the order of ≈10⁸ were achieved from different parts of the 10% Ag-Cu alloy microflower. The same substrate showed excellent Raman response for detecting R6G at very low concentrations such as 10 zM, leading to detection and analysis of SERS spectra from a single R6G molecule.

Morphology control of Cu and Cu2O through electrodeposition on conducting polymer electrodes

Here we demonstrate the morphology control of Cu and Cu₂O through electrodeposition on conducting polymer surface.

Recent Advances in Plasmon-Promoted Organic Transformations Using Silver-Based Catalysts

Plasmonics has emerged as a promising methodology to promote chemical reactions and has become a field of intense research effort. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as plasmonic catalysts have been extensively studied because of their remarkable optical properties. This review analyzes the emergence and development of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in organic chemistry, mainly focusing on the discovery of novel reactions with new mechanisms on Ag NPs. Initially, the basics of LSPR and LSPR-promoted photocatalytic mechanisms are illustrated. Then, the recent advances in plasmonic nanosilver-mediated photocatalysis in organic transformations are highlighted with an emphasis on the related reaction mechanisms. Finally, a proper perspective on the remaining challenges and future directions in the field of LSPR-promoted organic transformations is proposed.

Preparation of the plasmonic Ag/AgBr/ZnO film substrate for reusable SERS detection: Implication to the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism

In this work, a novel Ag/AgBr/ZnO SERS substrate was prepared by calcinating spin-coated zinc acetate on glass slides in the presence of ethanolamine (EA), followed by the process of impregnating-precipitation-photoreduction treatment. The SERS performances of Ag/AgBr/ZnO substrates were evaluated using aqueous crystal violet (CV) and Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as target analytes. The effects of initial immersion precursor concentration and irradiation time on the SERS performance were systematically studied. The as-prepared SERS substrate exhibited good chemical detection sensitivity, reproducibility and reusability. The optimal Ag/AgBr/ZnO (10 mM-30 min) substrates were capable of detecting 10^-12 M CV and 10^-11 M R6G aqueous solutions. The quantitative detection by the SERS substrate was investigated by constructing a linear corresponding calibration plot. The Ag/AgBr/ZnO SERS substrate was regenerated by a simple visible light driven photocatalytic process. A plausible Z-scheme visible light photocatalytic mechanism seems to account for the Ag-ZnO-AgBr system. This SERS substrate can be separated from the reaction easily, and the results indicated that the film was reusable for eight times without significantly losing the SERS efficiency, each time accompanied by a simple photo-driven regeneration. This study reveals that the Ag/AgBr/ZnO film on glass is practically applicable as an ultra-highly sensitive SERS substrate that can be readily regenerated.

Highly efficient chemically-driven micromotors with controlled snowman-like morphology

A hierarchical catalytic engine and morphology optimization lead to highly efficient micromotors that operate at a fuel concentration and speed close to those of biomolecular motors.

A review of developments and applications of thin-film microextraction coupled to surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) greatly expands the applications of Raman spectroscopy and is a promising technique for food safety, environmental analysis, and public safety. Thin-film microextraction (TFME) provides an efficient sample preparation method for SERS to improve its selectivity and detection efficiency. This review comprehensively describes the development and applications of SERS and TFME, including the history, mechanisim, and active substrate of SERS and the theory, device, forms, and practical applications of TFME. The applications of TFME-SERS in food safety and environment monitoring are discussed, which could improve their advantages. TFME extracts and enriches the target analytes to eliminate the interfering substance, providing a facial way for SERS to analyze the target analytes in complex matrices. The development of TFME-SERS technology not only expands the application range of TFME, but greatly improves the anti-interference ability and detection sensitivity of SERS. Thus, the established methods are fast, convenient, and highly sensitive. This technology is potential to be applied in the on-site and real-time detection.

Review on Nanomaterial-Based Melamine Detection

Illegal adulteration of milk products by melamine and its analogs has become a threat to the world. In 2008, the misuse of melamine with infant formula caused serious effects on babies of China. Thereafter, the government of China and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limited the use of melamine of 1 mg/kg for infant formula and 2.5 mg/kg for other dairy products. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also limited the daily intake of melamine of 0.2 mg/kg body weight per day. Many sensory schemes have been proposed by the scientists for carrying out screening on melamine poisoning. Among them, nanomaterial-based sensing techniques are very promising in terms of real-time applicability. These materials uncover and quantify the melamine by means of diverse mechanisms, such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), aggregation, inner filter effect, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and self-assembly, etc. Nanomaterials used for the melamine determination include carbon dots, quantum dots, nanocomposites, nanocrystals, nanoclusters, nanoparticles, nanorods, nanowires, and nanotubes. In this review, we summarize and comment on the melamine sensing abilities of these nanomaterials for their suitability and future research directions.

Ion Irradiation-Enhanced Raman Scattering on Nanoporous Copper

Nanoporous copper (NPC) is the potential affordable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate in practical use, although restricted by a relatively small enhancement factor. In this report, Cu ion irradiation is applied to effectively increase the enhancement factor of NPC. Two levels of surface roughness in NPC after ion irradiation are proposed to account for the improved SERS effect by careful characterization of microstructures. This study provides a new strategy to acquire a higher Raman enhancement factor in NPC, which perhaps can be extended to other SERS substrate systems.

High-Performance SERS Substrate Based on Hierarchical 3D Cu Nanocrystals with Efficient Morphology Control

Cu nanocrystals of various shapes are synthesized via a universal, eco-friendly, and facile colloidal method on Al substrates using hexadecylamine (HDA) as a capping agent and glucose as a reductant. By tuning the concentration of the capping agent, hierarchical 3D Cu nanocrystals show pronounced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) through the concentrated hot spots at the sharp tips and gaps due to the unique 3D structure and the resulting plasmonic couplings. Intriguingly, 3D sword-shaped Cu crystals have the highest enhancement factor (EF) because of their relatively uniform size distribution and alignment. This work opens new pathways for efficiently realizing morphology control for Cu nanocrystals as highly efficient SERS platforms.

Synthesis of uniform Ag nanosponges and its SERS application

With the aid of amino acid, various Ag nanostructures were successfully synthesized via the reaction between silver nitrate and hydrazine hydrate at room temperature. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the morphology of the as-prepared Ag products depended on the sorts of amino acid and solvents. The uniform Ag nanosponges could be obtained in glycol with aid of glycine. Using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as probe, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance was also investigated, which showed that the uniform Ag nanosponges exhibited an intensive and enhanced Raman scattering. Pazufloxacin mesilate (PM) were detected conveniently using these uniform nanosponges as SERS substrates. The present work might afford some guidance for the rationally controllable synthesis of other metal nanomaterials.

Grooved nanoplate assembly for rapid detection of surface enhanced Raman scattering

Rapid detection of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals is in great demand in the fields of biological medicine and environmental monitoring. Herein, a grooved silver nanoplate assembly (GSNA) with an abundance of multiscale gaps has been proposed for the first time and skillfully synthesized to act as an excellent platform for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy with ultrafast and ultrasensitive detection. By effectively combining the hotspots effect of nanogaps and the trapping effect of gaps in the scale of subwavelength, the Raman signal was greatly enhanced by a factor of 10¹⁰ and the detection limit of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) could reach 5 × 10^-13 M. Moreover, based on the perfect adsorption of the multiscale gaps, the probe molecule could be detected immediately after the analyte was mixed with the GSNA. In addition, the mixed analytes of R6G and crystal violet could be easily distinguished by Raman signal detection based on the fabricated basement. This study provides an effective SERS platform to achieve ultrafast Raman detection with ultrasensitivity in the fields of chemical analysis, biomedicine and environmental monitoring.

Efficient 3D-Silver Flower-like Microstructures for Non-Enzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Amperometric Detection

We present an efficient non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor composed of flower-like silver microstructures. The silver microstructures´ morphology is controlled by adding minute amounts of either succinic or malonic acid as directing agents. Morphologically, silver particles showed ball-like structures in the absence of both directing agents, while the presence of 50 ppm of succinic acid and malonic acid lead to monodisperse chrysanthemum and water-lily flower-like structure, respectively. A higher concentration of succinic acid resulted in a rose flower-like structures. Electrochemically, the rose flower-like silver microstructures exhibited the best performance for H2O2 detection as evaluated by their outstanding electrocatalytic activity (12 times higher) and sensitivity (2.4 mM-1 cm-2, 24 times higher) with lower detection limit (0.4 µM, 5 times smaller) together with their excellent H2O2 selectivity compared to that of the ball-shaped structures. Additionally, rose-flower microstructures exhibited excellent long-term stability; 11 and 3 times higher compared to ball- and water-lily structures, respectively. This substantial performance enhancement is attributed to their unique flower-like structure providing a higher number of active surface sites (at least 8 times higher) and a faster detachment rate of in-situ generated oxygen bubbles from their surface.

Simultaneous Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection of Multiplexed MicroRNA Biomarkers

Simultaneous detection of cancer biomarkers holds great promise for the early diagnosis of cancer. In the present work, an ultrasensitive and reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor has been developed for simultaneous detection of multiple liver cancer related microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers. We first proposed a novel strategy for the synthesis of nanogap-based SERS nanotags by modifying gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with thiolated DNA and nonfluorescent small encoding molecules. We also explored a simple approach to a green synthesis of hollow silver microspheres (Ag-HMSs) with bacteria as templates. On the basis of the sandwich hybridization assay, probe DNA-conjugated SERS nanotags used as SERS nanoprobes and capture DNA-conjugated Ag-HMSs used as capture substrates were developed for the detection of target miRNA with a detection limit of 10 fM. Multiplexing capability for simultaneous detection of the three liver cancer related miRNAs with the high sensitivity and specificity was demonstrated using the proposed SERS sensor. Furthermore, the practicability of the SERS sensor was supported by the successful determination of target miRNA in cancer cells. The experimental results indicated that the proposed strategy holds significant potential for multiplex detection of cancer biomarkers and offers the opportunity for future applications in clinical diagnosis.

Rapid synthesis of hierarchical, flower-like Ag microstructures with a gemini surfactant as a directing agent for SERS applications

Various hierarchical Ag microstructures, including sensitive SERS substrate flower-like structures, can be designed and rapidly synthesized under different conditions.

Ultrafast self-assembly of silver nanostructures on carbon-coated copper grids for surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of trace melamine

Structurally well-defined assemblies of silver nanoparticles, including the dendritic nano-flowers (NFs), planar nano-spheres (NSs) and nano-dendrites (NDs) were obtained by a surfactant-free and ultrafast (≈15min) self-assembly process on as-purchased carbon-coated copper TEM grids. The silver nano-assemblies, especially the NFs modified TEM grids, when serving as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for detecting melamine molecules, demonstrated a long-lived limit of detection (LOD) of as low as 10^-11M, suggesting the potential of these silver-assemblies modified carbon-coated copper grids as novel potable and cost-effective SERS substrates for trace detection toward various food contaminants like melamine.

Hierarchically-structured silver nanoflowers for highly conductive metallic inks with dramatically reduced filler concentration

Silver has long been employed as an electrically conductive component, and morphology-dependent properties have been actively investigated. Here we present a novel scalable synthesis method of flower-shaped silver nanoparticles (silver nanoflowers, Ag NFs). The preferential affinity of citrate molecules on (111) surface of silver enabled spontaneous anisotropic growth of Ag NFs (bud size: 250~580 nm, single crystalline petal thickness: 9~22 nm) with high reproducibility and a high yield of >99.5%. The unique hierarchical structure resulted in coalescence of petals over 80~120 °C which was practically employed in conductive inks to construct percolation pathways among Ag NFs. The ink with only 3 wt% of Ag NFs provided two orders of magnitude greater conductivity (1.008 × 105 Scm-1), at a low curing temperature of 120 °C, compared with the silver nanoparticle ink with a much higher silver concentration (50 wt%). This extraordinary property may provide an excellent opportunity for Ag NFs for practical applications in printable and flexible electronics.

Highly Sensitive and Reproducible SERS Performance from Uniform Film Assembled by Magnetic Noble Metal Composite Microspheres

To realize highly sensitive and reproducible SERS performance, a new route was put forward to construct uniform SERS film by using magnetic composite microspheres. In the experiment, monodisperse Fe3O4@SiO2@Ag microspheres with hierarchical surface were developed and used as building block of SERS substrate, which not only realized fast capturing analyte through dispersion and collection under external magnet but also could be built into uniform film through magnetically induced self-assembly. By using R6G as probe molecule, the as-obtained uniform film exhibited great improvement on SERS performance in both sensitivity and reproducibility when compared with nonuniform film, demonstrating the perfect integration of high sensitivity of hierarchal noble metal microspheres and high reproducibility of ordered microspheres array. Furthermore, the as-obtained product was used to detect pesticide thiram and also exhibited excellent SERS performance for trace detection.

Extraordinarily High Conductivity of Stretchable Fibers of Polyurethane and Silver Nanoflowers

Stretchable conductive composites have received considerable attention recently, and they should have high conductivity and mechanical strength. Here we report highly conductive stretchable fibers synthesized by the scalable wet spinning process using flower-shaped silver nanoparticles with nanodisc-shaped petals (Ag nanoflowers) and polyurethane. An extraordinarily high conductivity (41,245 S cm(-1)) was obtained by Ag nanoflowers, which is 2 orders of magnitude greater than that of fibers synthesized using spherical Ag nanoparticles. This was due to the enhanced surface area and vigorous coalescence of nanodisc-shaped petals during the curing process. There was a trade-off relationship between conductivity and stretchability, and the maximum rupture strain was 776%. An analytical model revealed that the enhanced adhesion between Ag nanoflowers and polyurethane provided a high Young's modulus (731.5 MPa) and ultimate strength (39.6 MPa) of the fibers. The fibers exhibited an elastic property after prestretching, and the resistance change of weft-knitted fabric was negligible up to 200% strain. The fibers with extraordinarily high conductivity, stretchability, and mechanical strength may be useful for wearable electronics applications.

Attomolar Level Detection of Raman Molecules with Hierarchical Silver Nanostructures Including Tiny Nanoparticles between Nanosized Gaps Generated in Silver Petals

We developed a route for synthesizing Ag nanostructures with tunable morphologies for ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Through the consecutive addition of three reducing agents (i.e., 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, trisodium citrate, and ascorbic acid) to an aqueous solution of silver nitrate, hierarchical flower-like Ag nanostructures were produced. The nanostructures had Ag petals in which nanosized gaps were generated, and small Ag nanoparticles were incorporated within the gaps. Theoretically, the nanostructures exhibited highly enhanced electric fields in the outer-shell regions where the small Ag nanoparticles were densely located. Combining the enhanced field effect with resonance effect of a Raman-active molecule (methylene blue) at a specific wavelength, measurable Raman signals were obtained at concentrations as low as 100 attomolar (10(-16) M; corresponding to 10(-21) mol). Key factors were discussed for the synthesis of the Ag nanostructures while finely controlling the morphologies of hierarchical Ag nanostructures, thereby modulating the intensity of surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS) signals. Therefore, this synthetic method produces highly promising nanostructures for SERRS-based applications.

Facile Decoration of Polyaniline Fiber with Ag Nanoparticles for Recyclable SERS Substrate

Facile synthesis of polyaniline@Ag composite has been successfully demonstrated by a simple solution-dipping method using high-aspect-ratio benzene tetracarboxylic acid-doped polyaniline (BDP) fiber as a nontoxic reducing agent as well as template cum stabilizer. In BDP@Ag composite, BDP fibers are decorated with spherical Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and the population of Ag NPs on BDP fibers is controlled by changing the molar concentration of AgNO3. Importantly, Ag-NP-decorated BDP fibers (BDP@Ag composites) have been evolved as a sensitive materials for the detection of trace amounts of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and rhodamine 6G as an analyte of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and the detection limit is down to nanomolar concentrations with excellent recyclability. Furthermore, synthesized BDP@Ag composites are applied simultaneously as an active SERS substrate and a superior catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol.

High performance surface-enhanced Raman scattering from molecular imprinting polymer capsulated silver spheres

Driven by the ultrasensitivity of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique and the directive selection of molecular imprinting polymers (MIPs), core–shell silver-molecularly imprinted polymer (Ag@MIP) hybrid structure was synthesized to serve as a novel SERS platform.

Single-step synthesis of various distinct hierarchical Ag structures

We present a new synthesis approach for the formation of several unique Ag hierarchical nanostructures via a single-step solution based approach.

Green synthesis and synergistic catalytic effect ofAg/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

A nanocomposite of silver nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) has been developed as a catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) with sodium borohydride, owing to the larger specific surface area and synergistic effect of rGO. A facile and rapid microwave-assisted green route has been used for the uniform deposition of Ag nanoparticles and the reduction of graphene oxide simultaneously with l-arginine as the reducing agent. The resulting Ag/rGO nanocomposite contained about 51 wt% of Ag, and the Ag nanoparticles deposited on the surface of rGO had a mean diameter of 8.6 ± 3.5 nm. Also, the Ag/rGO nanocomposite exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability toward the reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP with sodium borohydride. The reduction reaction obeyed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The rate constants increased not only with the increase of temperature and catalyst amount but also with the increase of initial 4-NP concentration, revealing that the support rGO could enhance the catalytic activity via a synergistic effect. A mechanism for the catalytic reduction of 4-NP with NaBH4 by Ag/rGO nanocomposite via both the liquid-phase and solid-phase routes has been suggested.

SERS-active silver nanoparticle assemblies on branched Cu2O crystals through controlled galvanic replacement

We here demonstrate the fabrication of highly SERS-active Ag nanoparticle assemblies on branched Cu₂O crystals through a galvanic replacement reaction process.

Gamma-irradiation induced direct fabrication of SERS-active Ag nanoparticles on glass substrates

SERS-active Ag nanoparticles are directly fabricated on glass substrates through a gamma-irradiation induced reduction technique.

Hot spots in different metal nanostructures for plasmon-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Noble metal nanostructures are able to concentrate light into small volumes, which enhances greatly the local electromagnetic (EM) field near the metal nanostructures. The areas with greatly enhanced EM field become "hot spots" for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which utilizes the field enhancement properties of metal nanostructures to amplify the usually weak Raman scattering signals. The preparation of metal nanostructures with superior SERS performances is one of the main topics in the SERS field and is important for the applications of SERS in sensing and analysis. In this feature article, we review several different kinds of metal structures for SERS, including coupled metal nanostructures, nanostructure arrays, nano/micro structures with textured surfaces and graphene-mediated SERS substrates. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) using the metal tip of the scanning tunneling microscope is also discussed. Besides the intensity enhancement in SERS and TERS, some less studied aspects are highlighted; for example, the remote excitation technique, tuning the nanogap of gold nanorod dimers through strain control on an elastomeric substrate, manipulating Raman emission polarization using asymmetric nanoantennas, and investigating plasmon-enhanced chemical reactions by TERS.

Mechanistic understanding of surface plasmon assisted catalysis on a single particle: cyclic redox of 4-aminothiophenol

Surface plasmon assisted catalysis (SPAC) reactions of 4-aminothiophenol (4ATP) to and back from 4,4′-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) have been investigated by single particle surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, using a self-designed gas flow cell to control the reductive/oxidative environment over the reactions. Conversion of 4ATP into DMAB is induced by energy transfer (plasmonic heating) from surface plasmon resonance to 4ATP, where O₂ (as an electron acceptor) is essential and H₂O (as a base) can accelerate the reaction. In contrast, hot electron (from surface plasmon decay) induction drives the reverse reaction of DMAB to 4ATP, where H₂O (or H₂) acts as the hydrogen source. More interestingly, the cyclic redox between 4ATP and DMAB by SPAC approach has been demonstrated. This SPAC methodology presents a unique platform for studying chemical reactions that are not possible under standard synthetic conditions.

Laser wavelength- and power-dependent plasmon-driven chemical reactions monitored using single particle surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Plasmon-driven chemical reaction of p-nitrothiophenol (pNTP) dimerizing into p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) has been monitored using single particle surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, which provides laser wavelength- and power-dependent conversion rates of the reaction.