The discovery of the enhancement of Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on nanostructured metal surfaces is a landmark in the history of spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Significant experimental and theoretical effort has been directed toward understanding the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect and demonstrating its potential in various types of ultrasensitive sensing applications in a wide variety of fields. In the 45 years since its discovery, SERS has blossomed into a rich area of research and technology, but additional efforts are still needed before it can be routinely used analytically and in commercial products. In this Review, prominent authors from around the world joined together to summarize the state of the art in understanding and using SERS and to predict what can be expected in the near future in terms of research, applications, and technological development. This Review is dedicated to SERS pioneer and our coauthor, the late Prof. Richard Van Duyne, whom we lost during the preparation of this article.

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Present and Future of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

: The unpolarized absorption and circular dichroism spectra of the fundamental vibrational transitions of the chiral molecule, 4-methyl-2-oxetanone, are calculated ab initio. Harmonic force fields are obtained using Density Functional Theory (DFT), MP2, and SCF methodologies and a 5S4P2D/3S2P (TZ2P) basis set. DFT calculations use the Local Spin Density Approximation (LSDA), BLYP, and Becke3LYP (B3LYP) density functionals. Mid-IR spectra predicted using LSDA, BLYP, and B3LYP force fields are of significantly different quality, the B3LYP force field yielding spectra in clearly superior, and overall excellent, agreement with experiment. The MP2 force field yields spectra in slightly worse agreement with experiment than the B3LYP force field. The SCF force field yields spectra in poor agreement with experiment.The basis set dependence of B3LYP force fields is also explored: the 6-31G* and TZ2P basis sets give very similar results while the 3-21G basis set yields spectra in substantially worse agreements with experiment. jg

Ab initio calculation of vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra using density functional force fields

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combines molecular fingerprint specificity with potential single-molecule sensitivity. Therefore, the SERS technique is an attractive tool for sensing molecules in trace amounts within the field of chemical and biochemical analytics. Since SERS is an ongoing topic, which can be illustrated by the increased annual number of publications within the last few years, this review reflects the progress and trends in SERS research in approximately the last three years. The main reason why the SERS technique has not been established as a routine analytic technique, despite its high specificity and sensitivity, is due to the low reproducibility of the SERS signal. Thus, this review is dominated by the discussion of the various concepts for generating powerful, reproducible, SERS-active surfaces. Furthermore, the limit of sensitivity in SERS is introduced in the context of single-molecule spectroscopy and the calculation of the 'real' enhancement factor. In order to shed more light onto the underlying molecular processes of SERS, the theoretical description of SERS spectra is also a growing research field and will be summarized here. In addition, the recording of SERS spectra is affected by a number of parameters, such as laser power, integration time, and analyte concentration. To benefit from synergies, SERS is combined with other methods, such as scanning probe microscopy and microfluidics, which illustrates the broad applications of this powerful technique.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS): progress and trends

The design of nanoparticles is critical for their efficient use in many applications ranging from biomedicine to sensing and energy. While shape and size are responsible for the properties of the inorganic nanoparticle core, the choice of ligands is of utmost importance for the colloidal stability and function of the nanoparticles. Moreover, the selection of ligands employed in nanoparticle synthesis can determine their final size and shape. Ligands added after nanoparticle synthesis infer both new properties as well as provide enhanced colloidal stability. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review on the role of the ligands with respect to the nanoparticle morphology, stability, and function. We analyze the interaction of nanoparticle surface and ligands with different chemical groups, the types of bonding, the final dispersibility of ligand-coated nanoparticles in complex media, their reactivity, and their performance in biomedicine, photodetectors, photovoltaic devices, light-emitting devices, sensors, memory devices, thermoelectric applications, and catalysis.

The Role of Ligands in the Chemical Synthesis and Applications of Inorganic Nanoparticles.

Copper complexes of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: an opportunity yet to be realized

FTIR, FT-Raman, SERS and DFT study on melamine

The structural dual role of Fe2O3 in some lead-phosphate glasses

Molecular and vibrational structure of 2,4-dinitrophenol: FT-IR, FT-Raman and quantum chemical calculations

Detection of thiabendazole applied on citrus fruits and bananas using surface enhanced Raman scattering

Density-functional perturbation theory and Raman spectroscopy are used in the study of vibrations in bulk V${}_{2}$VI${}_{3}$ binary and ternary topological insulators as well as in ultrathin films composed of one and two quintuple layers. Full dispersion curves along the Brillouin zone symmetry directions are calculated and analyzed and the zone-center Raman active modes are compared to the experimental results. The calculations of the two quintuple layer films reveal modes that correspond to displacements of entire quintuple layer blocks. These modes have low frequencies and are Raman active. The phonon dispersion curves of one and two quintuple layer Bi${}_{2}$Se${}_{3}$ films are compared with recent helium atom scattering experiments [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 186102 (2011)].

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Vasile Chiş

Papers

FTIR, FT-Raman, SERS and DFT study on melamine

The structural dual role of Fe2O3 in some lead-phosphate glasses

Molecular and vibrational structure of 2,4-dinitrophenol: FT-IR, FT-Raman and quantum chemical calculations

Detection of thiabendazole applied on citrus fruits and bananas using surface enhanced Raman scattering

Vibrations in binary and ternary topological insulators: First-principles calculations and Raman spectroscopy measurements