SERS和黄金:揭开芳香密码

诸平

Fig. 1 A breakthrough in detecting aromatic molecules on gold surfaces has been achieved through Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, offering new insights into molecular interactions and detection methods. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Fig. 2 The paper was selected for the front cover of Analytical Chemistry. Credit: Guoliang Zhou

《科技日报》（scitechdaily）网站）2024年2月3日报道了来自中国科学院（Chinese Academy Of Sciences）合肥物质科学研究院（Hefei Institutes Of Physical Science）的消息，由中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院杨良保教授(Prof. Liangbao Yang音译)领导的研究小组，利用表面增强拉曼光谱(Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy简称SERS)技术在检测金表面芳香分子方面取得了突破，为分子相互作用和检测方法提供了新的见解（SERS and Gold: Unraveling the Aromatic Code）。 研究者观察了单个金纳米二聚体上芳香分子与金表面之间的相互作用。相关研究结果于2023年11月28日已经在美国化学会（ACS）出版物《分析化学》（Analytical Chemistry）杂志网站发表——Guoliang Zhou, Pan Li, Yuanhui Xiao, Siyu Chen, Shirui Weng, Ronglu Dong, Dongyue Lin, De-Yin Wu, Liangbao Yang. Observing π–Au Interaction between Aromatic Molecules and Single Au Nanodimers with a Subnanometer Gap by SERS. Analytical Chemistry, 2024, 96(1): 197–203. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03600. Publication Date:November 28, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03600

此文被作为《分析化学》2024年第一期的封面文章，详见图2（Fig. 2）所示。参与此项研究的有来自中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院（Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China）、中国科技大学（University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China）、中国厦门大学化学化工学院（College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China）以及中国科学院合肥肿瘤医院（Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui China）的研究人员。

揭示分子相互作用（Unveiling Molecular Interactions）

芳香分子与贵金属之间的界面相互作用在基础科学和技术应用中具有突出的作用。然而，由于表征技术的限制和实验条件的复杂性，对这种相互作用在环境条件下的具体机制仍然缺乏定量的认识。为了解决这一问题，研究小组构建了具有亚纳米间隙的金纳米二聚体结构（Au nanodimer structure with subnanometer gap）。基于这种结构，科学家借助SERS获得了表面分子振动谱信息。

SERS检测的进展（Advancements in SERS Detection）

这种创新的方法不仅有助于收集详细的分子信息，而且提高了多环芳烃(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons简称PAHs) SERS检测的灵敏度。

他们发现，多环芳烃（PAHs）的SERS灵敏度随着分子中芳香环数量的增加而增加。这为芳香分子的高灵敏度检测提供了新的思路。同时，还揭示了芳香分子在Au表面的物理吸附类型和界面处的电子密度分布。

对未来研究的启示（Implications for Future Research）

这项研究的意义是巨大的，证明了SERS在分子水平上探测界面相互作用的潜力。这项工作为该领域的基础研究和技术进步开辟了新的途径，标志着我们对贵金属表面分子相互作用的理解向前迈出了重要一步。

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Abstract

Interface interaction between aromatic molecules and noble metals plays a prominent role in fundamental science and technological applications. However, probing π–metal interactions under ambient conditions remains challenging, as it requires characterization techniques to have high sensitivity and molecular specificity without any restrictions on the sample. Herein, the interactions between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules and Au nanodimers with a subnanometer gap are investigated by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A cleaner and stronger plasmonic field of subnanometer gap Au nanodimer structures was constructed through solvent extraction. High sensitivity and strong π–Au interaction between PAHs and Au nanodimers are observed. Additionally, the density functional theory calculation confirmed the interactions of PAHs physically absorbed on the Au surface; the binding energy and differential charge further theoretically indicated the correlation between the sensitivity and the number of PAH rings, which is consistent with SERS experimental results. This work provides a new method to understand the interactions between aromatic molecules and noble metal surfaces in an ambient environment, also paving the way for designing the interfaces in the fields of catalysis, sensors, and molecular electronics.