Interfacial Chemistry in SERS: Mechanisms, Controls, and Materials

Area of Science:

• Spectroscopy
• Surface Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is vital for molecular analysis, driven by molecular-surface interactions.
• Current SERS research overemphasizes electromagnetic enhancement, neglecting chemical enhancement and interfacial effects.
• Surface chemistry in SERS is often empirical, lacking mechanistic insight.

Purpose of the Study:

• Reframe SERS as an interfacial chemical phenomenon.
• Introduce a SERS interfacial chemical phase diagram for mechanistic understanding and predictive design.
• Evaluate strategies for actively tuning interfacial states in SERS substrates.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development for SERS as an interfacial chemical process.
• Introduction of a SERS interfacial chemical phase diagram.
• Review of emerging strategies for interfacial state tuning.

Main Results:

• SERS substrates are viewed as chemically active interfaces with tunable states.
• The SERS interfacial chemical phase diagram organizes substrate-analyte interactions.
• Emerging strategies offer active interfacial state control.

Conclusions:

• SERS is fundamentally an interfacial chemical phenomenon.
• The SERS interfacial chemical phase diagram enables rational design and control.
• Integrating computation and machine learning can advance SERS as a predictive platform.