Affiliations: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA | The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Berkeley, CA, USA | Key Laboratory of Environment and Energy Chemistry of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Note: [] Corresponding author: Jin Z. Zhang, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This review provides an overview of the basic principles and key technical issues of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and tip enhanced Raman scattering (TERS). After a brief introduction to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption and the basic principles behind Raman scattering and related techniques such as resonance Raman scattering and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), SERS and TERS are extensively covered, including the latest progress on the fundamental understanding of the enhancement mechanism and the development of novel SERS substrates. Relevant microscopy and imaging methods are also discussed, along with several examples of molecular systems studied. An attempt is also made to discuss the enhancement mechanism from both time-independent and time-dependent views of Raman scattering at the molecular level. Interesting issues related to hot spots in SERS and single molecule SERS detection are also addressed. Some perspectives on the current status and challenges for TERS are given.
