Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: principles, practice, and applications to nanospectroscopic imaging of 2D materials

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been one of the most extensively studied classes of modern materials, due to their astonishing chemical, optical, electronic, and mechanical properties, which are different from their bulk counterparts. The edges, grain boundaries, local strain, chemical bonding, molecular orientation, and the presence of nanodefects in these 2D monolayers (MLs) will strongly affect their properties. Currently, it is still challenging to investigate such atomically thin 2D monolayers with nanoscale spatial resolution, especially in a label-free and non-destructive way. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), which combines the merits of both scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and Raman spectroscopy, has become a powerful analytical technique for studying 2D monolayers, because it allows very high-resolution and high-sensitivity local spectroscopic investigation and imaging and also provides rich chemical information. This review provides a summary of methods to study 2D monolayers and an overview of TERS, followed by an introduction to the current state-of-the-art and theoretical understanding the spatial resolution in TERS experiments. Surface selection rules are also discussed. We then focus on the capabilities and potential of TERS for nanoscale chemical imaging of 2D materials, such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), and 2D polymers. We predict that TERS will become widely accepted and used as a versatile imaging tool for chemical investigation of 2D materials at the nanoscale. Graphical abstract ᅟ.