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Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Nature Reviews Methods Primers volume 3, Article number: 36 (2023) Cite this article

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Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly sensitive spectroscopic technique that provides non-destructive detection at the single-molecule level. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) provided a solution to the long-standing limitation of poor universality of traditional SERS substrates and morphology and, as a result, greatly expanded applications of SERS. In this Primer, we introduce the background, origin and enhancement mechanism of SHINERS before describing the experimental details of SHINERS, including the types and characterization of shell-isolated nanoparticles, relevant experimental instruments, and experimental reproducibility and data analysis. The recent advances in electrochemical catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, batteries, and industry and living applications are highlighted. By analysing the limitations and possible optimizations of SHINERS, the guidance for further improvements is discussed. Finally, an outlook on the application of SHINERS-based research is presented.

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Fig. 1: The working modes of SERS, TERS and SHINERS.
Fig. 2: Schematic of equipment set-ups for SHINERS experiments.
Fig. 3: SHINERS for electrochemical catalysis.
Fig. 4: SHINERS for battery research: present and future perspective.
Fig. 5: SHINERS for heterogeneous catalysis.
Fig. 6: SHINERS for industry and living application.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2019YFA0705400), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21925404, T2293692, 22104124, 22174165 and 22021001), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to J.L. (RG-03958), and the UK Faraday Institution (EPSRC EP/S003053/1) through the Degradation Project (FIRG001 and FIRG024).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials, iChEM, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

    Yue-Jiao Zhang, Huajie Ze, Zhong-Qun Tian & Jian-Feng Li

  2. MOE of the Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Chem & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Ping-Ping Fang

  3. School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China

    Yi-Fan Huang

  4. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

    Andrzej Kudelski

  5. Stephenson Institute of Renewable Energy, Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Julia Fernández-Vidal & Laurence J. Hardwick

  6. Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

    Julia Fernández-Vidal

  7. The Faraday Institution, Quad One, Harwell Campus, Didcot, UK

    Laurence J. Hardwick

  8. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Jacek Lipkowski

  9. Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen, China

    Zhong-Qun Tian & Jian-Feng Li

  10. College of Optical and Electronic Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China

    Jian-Feng Li

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  1. Yue-Jiao Zhang
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  2. Huajie Ze
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Contributions

Introduction (Z.-Q.T., Y.-J.Z. and H.Z.); Experimentation (A.K. and Y.-J.Z.); Results (Y.-J.Z. and H.Z.); Applications (Y.-J.Z., H.Z., P.-P.F., J.F.-V., L.J.H., J.L. and J.-F.L.); Reproducibility and data deposition (H.Z. and Y.-F.H.); Limitations and optimizations (H.Z. and Y.-F.H.); Outlook (Z.-Q.T., J.-F.L. and Y.-J.Z.). All authors discussed and edited the full manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ping-Ping Fang, Yi-Fan Huang, Andrzej Kudelski, Laurence J. Hardwick, Jacek Lipkowski, Zhong-Qun Tian or Jian-Feng Li.

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Nature Reviews Methods Primers thanks Jung Ho Yu, Wei Xie and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Glossary

Contact mode

The probed molecules are in direct contact with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active material.

Frens method

A method of reducing an aqueous solution of gold or silver precursor by sodium citrate at elevated temperature.

Localized surface plasmon resonance effect

The collective oscillation effect of conduction electrons in nanostructures stimulated by incident light.

Nanoresonators

Nanostructures with a localized surface plasmon resonance effect.

Non-contact mode

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal amplifier is separated from the surface of interest.

Rayleigh scattering

A scattering in which the intensity of the scattered light is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the frequency of the incident light, and the intensity in each direction is not the same.

Shell-isolated mode

The gold core acts as a signal amplifier, and the chemically inert dielectric shell prevents the interaction between the gold core and the system under study.

SHINERS-satellite strategy

A developed core–shell satellite nanocomposite structure (gold core–silica shell–nanocatalyst satellite structure).

Sol

A dispersed solution having colloidal particles with a diameter of 1–1,000 nm.

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Zhang, YJ., Ze, H., Fang, PP. et al. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Nat Rev Methods Primers 3, 36 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-023-00217-y

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