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Author Spotlight: Tracking Electrochemistry on Single Nanoparticles with Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy and Microscopy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Principal Component Analysis of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectra Revealing Isomer-Dependent Electron
Shuji Kobayashi1, Satoshi Kaneko1,2, Takashi Tamaki3
1Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan.
Abstract:
The characterization of single-molecule structures could provide significant insights into the operation mechanisms of functional devices. Structural transformation via isomerization has been extensively employed to implement device functionalities. Although single-molecule identification has recently been achieved using near-field spectroscopy, discrimination between isomeric forms remains challenging. Further, the structure-function relationship at the single-molecule scale remains unclear. Herein, we report the observation of the isomerization of spiropyran in a single-molecule junction (SMJ) using simultaneous surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and conductance measurements. SERS spectra were used to discriminate between isomers based on characteristic peaks. Moreover, conductance measurements, in conjunction with the principal component analysis of the SERS spectra, clearly showed the isomeric effect on the conductance of the SMJ.
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