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Updated: May 25, 2026

Tracking Electrochemistry on Single Nanoparticles with Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy and Microscopy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Single-molecule, single-particle approaches for exploring the structure and kinetics of nanocatalysts
Takashi Tachikawa1, Tetsuro Majima
1The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, Mihogaoka 8-1, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan.
Abstract:
In this Article, we focus on the in situ observation of photochemical reactions on individual nanoobjects of solid catalysts using single-molecule, single-particle fluorescence spectroscopy. The use of high-resolution imaging techniques with suitable fluorogenic probes enables us to determine the location of the catalytically active sites that are related to the structural heterogeneities on the surface of the solid catalyst and the temporal fluctuation of photochemical reactivity. Furthermore, we present the real-time observation of metastable gold nanoclusters in polymer matrices at the single-cluster level. This Article encourages readers to explore the nanoworld in terms of practical applications in many fields such as fundamental physics and chemistry.
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