电化学界面SERS光谱的密度泛函理论研究

运用量子化学密度泛函DFT理论和拉曼光谱研究了吡啶在过渡金属(Ⅷ族)和币族金属(IB族)表面吸附的成键机理及其拉曼光谱的变化规律.总结了作者研究组有关吡啶-金属SERS体系的研究,并从化学成键机理和光驱电荷转移机理两个方面探讨了电化学界面SERS谱峰的频率位移和增强效应,解释了实验观测到的SERS光谱随金属电极材料、激发光波长以及电极电位变化的现象.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of p-aminothiophenol on a Au(core)/Cu(shell) nanoparticle assembly.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) molecules adsorbed onto assemblies of Au(core)/Cu(shell) nanoparticles is reported. We compare it with the SERS spectrum of PATP adsorbed onto gold nanoparticles: both the absolute and relative scattered intensities of various bands in the two spectra are very different. The difference in relative intensity can be ascribed to chemical effects; the chemical enhancement ratio of the two substrates is approximately 3-5. A theoretical analysis based on a charge-transfer model is carried out, which yields a consistent result and shows that the difference in chemical enhancement is mainly due to the state densities and Fermi levels of the substrates. The difference in absolute intensity originates from electromagnetic (EM) enhancement. EM enhancement of Au(core)/Cu(shell) nanoparticles is unlike that of single-component gold or copper SERS-active substrates. The core/shell particle size for optimal enhancement is about 20 nm in the case of a 632.8 nm incident laser (the size ratio of the core and shell layers is about 0.6).     

密度泛函理论研究银上吸附对巯基吡啶的SERS化学增强效应

基于密度泛函理论计算和拉曼光谱理论分析,我们研究了对巯基吡啶(4MPY)分子的拉曼光谱和其在银上的表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS),并进一步探讨了SERS与界面吸附结构、异构化、质子化和氢键作用以及低能激发态的关系。首先,我们对两种分子异构体的相对稳定性和拉曼光谱进行了理论分析。在此基础上,进而研究了该分子与不同银簇作用时的拉曼光谱,结果表明,4MPY以巯基硫与银簇作用形成强的Ag―S键,导致拉曼光谱的线型不依赖于所选银簇的大小。接着我们考虑了吡啶氮端作用的两种情况。(1)当4MPY-银簇复合物同时以吡啶氮与水簇或水合质子簇形成氢键时,结果表明吡啶环的部分振动频率随氢键和质子化发生蓝移。(2)当考虑吡啶氮与银簇作用时,吡啶环三角畸变振动发生蓝移。上述情况不仅解释了实验观测的振动频率变化,而且表明了化学环境改变对相对拉曼强度的影响。最后,我们计算了当对巯基吡啶分子以单端或双端与银簇作用,在考虑激发光与低能激发态的能量匹配时,拉曼光谱强度与低能激发态的关系。计算结果表明,在双端吸附构型下,与吡啶氮成键的银簇受激发产生电荷转移态,不仅导致吡啶环v_(12)、v_1和v_(8a)振动的拉曼信号增强,而且选择性地增强吡啶环C―H面内对称弯曲振动v9a的拉曼信号。     

p-π共轭分子的氨基面外弯曲振动模的拉曼光谱

拉曼光谱是一种用途广泛的无损分子检测技术,其能够提供化学物质的分子结构指纹信息.一种面外弯曲振动模被称作wagging振动,它的信号尤为特殊,其频率和强度都非常依赖于检测环境.以乙烯胺和苯胺为例,采用密度泛函理论计算研究了p-π共轭分子分别与水簇和银簇作用的平衡结构、成键作用和拉曼光谱.结果表明,弱相互作用,如分子与金属表面的弱吸附作用以及分子与水之间的氢键作用,均使氨基面外弯曲振动模(ωNH2)的拉曼信号发生显著的变化.考虑溶剂化效应后,氢键作用减弱,计算拉曼光谱趋于一致.通过进一步对电子结构的分析,解释了面外弯曲振动信号显著增强的原因,揭示了面外弯曲振动模与分子p-π共轭作用之间的关系.     

Contribution of charge-transfer mechanisms to surface-enhanced Raman scattering with near-IR excitation.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering under near-IR excitation is investigated for p-aminothiophenol (PATP) molecules that are either adsorbed on an electrochemically roughened silver electrode or embedded in an Au/PATP/Ag molecular junction assembled on an indium-doped tin oxide electrode. The contribution from chemical enhancement can be amplified relative to the contribution from electromagnetic enhancement, because the energy of the near-IR excitation is far from the surface plasmon resonance of the nanosized metal particles. The energy required for the charge-transfer process for the Au/PATP/Ag molecular junction is much lower than that of the PATP molecules adsorbed on the electrochemically roughened silver electrode. Coadsorption of chloride ions on the metal nanoparticles may result in an alteration of the local Fermi level of the metal nanoparticles, thus leading to better energy matching between the energy level of the interconnecting PATP molecules and the Fermi level of the metal nanoparticles.     

Highly sensitive Raman spectroscopy using a gap mode plasmon under an attenuated total reflection geometry

We investigated a gap mode plasmon under an attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration toward realization of near-field Raman spectroscopy with a single molecule sensitivity and spatial resolution. Additional enhancement in Raman scattering at a nanogap was obtained by a coupling of a propagating surface plasmon (PSP) of Ag films on a prism, and a gap mode between Ag films and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). Immobilization of AgNPs on Ag films through thiol-SAM slightly up-shifted the resonance angle of a PSP, which broadened the reflectivity dip owing to an increased out-coupling of a PSP. Raman enhancement factor at a nanogap increased with decreasing surface coverage of AgNPs, albeit the enhancement factor averaged over illuminated area in Ag films decreased, ensuring the largest enhancement factor in tip-enhanced Raman scattering. This is due to increased efficiency for a PSP excitation at lower coverage of AgNPs in consistent with that in theoretical evaluation using finite difference time domain calculations. A gap mode under an ATR configuration was applied to elucidate a plausible photochemical reaction of p-amino thiophenol (PATP) adsorbed on Ag films on a prism. Spectral changes in Raman scattering under laser illumination were observed for PATP with a deuterated amino group, but suppressed by a dimethyl amino group owing to steric hindrance, supporting the photochemical dimerization.     

Controlled synthesis of gold nanobelts and nanocombs in aqueous mixed surfactant solutions

Well-defined gold nanobelts as well as unique gold nanocombs made of nanobelts were readily synthesized by the reduction of HAuCl4 with ascorbic acid in aqueous mixed solutions of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSn). Single-crystalline gold nanobelts grown along the <110> and <211> directions were prepared in mixed CTAB-SDSn solutions at 4 and 27 degrees C, respectively. Furthermore, single-crystalline gold nanocombs consisting of a <110>-oriented stem nanobelt and numerous <211>-oriented nanobelts grown perpendicularly on one side of the stem were fabricated by a two-step process with temperature changing from 4 to 27 degrees C. It was proposed that the mixed cationic-anionic surfactants exerted a subtle control on the growth of gold nanocrystals in solution due to the cooperative effect of mixed surfactants. This synthetic strategy may open a new route for the mild fabrication and hierarchical assembly of metal nanobelts in solution. The obtained gold nanobelts showed good electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution; in particular, the electrode modified with the nanobelts obtained at 27 degrees C exhibited an electrocatalytic activity considerably higher than normal polycrystalline gold electrode. Moreover, the gold nanobelts were used as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for detecting the enhanced Raman spectra of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) molecules, and the gold nanobelts obtained at 4 degrees C exhibited an unusual larger enhancement of the b2 modes relative to the a1 modes for the adsorbed PATP molecules.     

Binding interactions and Raman spectral properties of pyridine interacting with bimetallic silver-gold clusters.

The binding interactions between pyridine and bimetallic silver-gold clusters are investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The binding energies of pyridine-bimetallic cluster complexes indicate that the bonding depends strongly on the binding site (Au or Ag atom) and bonding molecular orbitals in a given configuration. The donation of the lone-pair electrons of the nitrogen of pyridine to an appropriate unoccupied orbital of each metal cluster plays an important role. The low-lying excited states and charge-transfer states of four stable complexes of interest are calculated on the basis of a time-dependent DFT method. In nonresonance Raman scattering processes, the influence of binding interactions on the relative Raman intensity of totally symmetric pyridine vibrational modes is discussed. These calculated relative Raman intensities are compared with observed surface-enhanced Raman spectra of pyridine adsorbed on silver-gold alloy surfaces.     

Direct visual evidence for chemical mechanism of SERRS of pyrazine adsorbed on Ag nanoparticle via charge transfer

In this paper, the chemical enhancement of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) of pyrazine adsorbed on Ag nanoparticles through charge transfer was experimentally and theoretically investigated. Based on the calculations by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT), we theoretically analyzed the absorption spectra and SERS spectrum of the S-complex of pyrazine–Ag₂₀. The charge transfer in the process of resonant electronic transitions between adsorbed molecule and metal cluster can be visualized by the method of charge difference density. It is a direct evidence for the chemical enhancement mechanism of SERRS of pyrazine molecule adsorbed on Ag nanoparticle via charge transfer between molecule and metal. Additionally, the intracluster charge redistribution was also considered as an evidence for the electromagnetic enhancement. By comparing the experimental and theoretical results, it was demonstrated that the SERRS of the pyrazine molecule absorbed on silver clusters in different incident wavelength regions is dominated by different enhancement mechanisms via the chemical and electromagnetic enhancements.     

Theoretical differential Raman scattering cross-sections of totally-symmetric vibrational modes of free pyridine and pyridine-metal cluster complexes

The differential Raman scattering cross-sections of totally-symmetric vibrational modes for pyridine and pyridine-metal clusters have been calculated by using ab initio and density functional methods. The results are compared with experimental data and a good agreement is obtained. In particular, we can theoretically reproduce the significant changes in the relative Raman intensities of the nu(12) mode in pyridine-metal cluster complexes. We focus on two mechanisms for these Raman intensities changes: (1) the chemical interaction between the pyridine and the metal clusters; and (2) the charge transfer mechanism. For the pyridine-silver cluster complexes, we find that due to the weak bonding, the chemical interaction does not influence the relative intensities of the Raman peaks of the nu(1) and nu(12) modes. However, in the case where the copper or the gold clusters are attached to pyridine, the intensity of the band of the nu(12) mode is weakened significantly. We also find that the charge transfer mechanism increases the asymmetry of the bands of the nu(1) and nu(12) modes on all three metals.     

Enhancement mechanism of SERS from cyanine dyes adsorbed on Ag2O colloids

Surface enhancement mechanism of Raman scattering from molecules adsorbed on silver oxide colloids is reported. Absorption spectra and Raman spectra of the cyanine dye D266 and pyridine molecules adsorbed on Ag₂O colloids, and the influences of S₂O₃²⁻ and OH⁻ on the SERS are studied respectively. The results indicate that ‘chemical' enhancement is dominant in Ag₂O colloidal solution. Surface complexes of adsorbed molecules and small silver ion clusters Ag_n⁺ as the SERS active sites make an important contribution to surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). At these active sites, charge transfer between the adsorbed molecules and the small silver ion clusters is the main enhancement origin. The enhancement factor of D266 adsorbed on Ag₂O colloids is theoretically estimated with the excited-state charge transfer model, which is roughly in accordance with the experiments.     

Monosodium glutamate in its anhydrous and monohydrate form: differentiation by Raman spectroscopies and density functional calculations

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a common flavor enhancer, is detected in aqueous solutions by Raman and surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) spectroscopies at the micromolar level. The presence of different species, such as protonated and unprotonated MSG, is demonstrated by concentration and pH dependent Raman and SERS experiments. In particular, the symmetric bending modes of the amino group and the stretching modes of the carboxy moiety are employed as marker bands. The protonation of the NH(2) group at acidic pH values, for example, is detected in the Raman spectra. From the measured SERS spectra, a strong chemical interaction of MSG with the colloidal particles is deduced and a geometry of MSG adsorbed on the silver surface is proposed. In order to assign the observed Raman bands, calculations employing density functional theory (DFT) were performed. The calculated geometries, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers and Raman scattering activities for both MSG forms are in good agreement with experimental data. The set of theoretical data enables a complete vibrational assignment of the experimentally detected Raman spectra and the differentiation between the anhydrous and monohydrate forms of MSG.     

Surface enhanced Raman spectra of isomeric acetylpyridines adsorbed on silver sol

Raman spectra of 2-, 3- and 4-acetylpyridines (AP) are obtained in bulk phase, in aqueous solution and in the adsorbed state on colloidal silver particles. Addition of the acetylpyridines on the Ag-sol results in aggregation of the silver particles showing characteristic charge transfer (CT) bands. Significant surface enhancement of the Raman bands are observed. Both the estimated enhancement factor and the absorption maxima of the CT bands are in inverse parallel relationship with the electron density on the nitrogen atom as reflected by the Hammett σ values of the substituents. It is inferred that the charge transfer interactions between the adsorbates and the metal particles contribute to the enhancement mechanism. This is further substantiated by the concentration dependence of enhancement. A classical electromagnetic contribution is demonstrated by the Raman excitation frequency dependence of SERS. The results further show that the molecules are adsorbed on the metal surface through the nitrogen atom. Appearance of some out-of-plane modes in the SERS spectra suggests that the pyridyl ring planes are not perpendicular to the metal surface, but are tilted.     

Molecular structure, spectroscopic studies and first-order molecular hyperpolarizabilities of p-amino acetanilide

The infrared absorption, Raman spectra and SERS spectra of p-amino acetanilide have been analyzed with the aid of density functional theory calculations at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. The electric dipole moment (mu) and the first hyperpolarizability (beta) values of the investigated molecule have been computed using ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. The calculation results also show that the synthesized molecule might have microscopic nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior with non-zero values. Computed geometries reveal that the PAA molecule is planar, while secondary amide group is twisted with respect to the phenyl ring is found, upon hydrogen bonding. The hyperconjugation of the C=O group with adjacent C-C bond and donor-acceptor interaction associated with the secondary amide have been investigated using computed geometry. The carbonyl stretching band position is found to be influenced by the tendency of phenyl ring to withdraw nitrogen lone pair, intermolecular hydrogen bonding, conjugation and hyperconjugation. The existence of intramolecular C=O...H hydrogen bonded have been investigated by means of the natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis. The influence of the decrease of N-H and C=O bond orders and increase of C-N bond orders due to donor-acceptor interaction has been identified in the vibrational spectra. The SERS spectral analysis reveals that the large enhancement of in-plane bending, out of plane bending and ring breathing modes in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectrum indicates that the molecule is adsorbed on the silver surface in a 'atleast vertical' configuration, with the ring perpendicular to the silver surface.     

Raman spectral study of metal-cytosine complexes: a density functional theoretical (DFT) approach

The fluctuation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra has been an obstacle to the analysis of the adsorbate on the metal surface. In this paper, we aim at using the density functional theory (DFT) to study the fluctuant Raman spectra of the cytosine molecule which interacts with a coinage metal atom or cation via N1 and N3 sites. The results show that the adsorption site strongly influences the Raman spectral property of cytosine molecule, especially the relative intensity of some bands. In addition, the SERS spectra of cytosine which is adsorbed on the gold, silver, and copper electrodes are measured, and the possible orientation and adsorption site of the cytosine molecule adsorbed on metal electrodes surface are proposed with the help of DFT simulations.     

Theoretical study on contribution of charge transfer effect to surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra of pyridine adsorbed on Ag(n) (n = 2-8) clusters

We investigate surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of pyridine–Ag_n (n = 2–8) complexes by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) methods. In simulated normal Raman scattering (NRS) spectra, profiles of pyridine–Ag_n (n = 2–8) complexes are analogical with that of isolated pyridine. Nevertheless, calculated pre-SERS spectra are strongly dependent on electronic transition states of new complexes. Wavelengths at 335 nm, 394.8 nm, 316.9 nm and 342.6 nm, which are nearly resonant with pure charge transfer excitation states, are adopted as incident light when simulating pre-SERS spectra for pyridine–Ag_n (n = 2–8) complexes, respectively. We obtain enhancement factors from 10³ to 10⁵ in pre-SERS spectra compared with corresponding NRS spectra. The obvious increase in Raman intensities mainly result from charge transfer resonance Raman enhancement. A charge difference densities (CDDs) methodology is adopted in describing chemical enhancement mechanism. This methodology aims at visualizing charge transfer from Ag_n (n = 2–8) clusters to pyridine on resonant electronic transition, which is one of the most direct evidences for chemical enhancement mechanism.     

金纳米粒子组装体系SERS化学增强的研究

Gold nanoparticles were assembled on gold substrates with the self-assembled monolayer(SAM) of p-minothiophenol(PATP). AFM measurements disclose that gold nanoparticles are scattered over the surface of the substrate with a submonolayer coverage. The Raman signal of the coupling layer, the SAM of PATP, can be well observed. Potential-dependent measurements were performed to study the chemical enhancement in SERS of such a system. Based on the supposition that the direction of charge transfer is from gold nanoparticles to PATP, it is deduced that Herzberg-Teller contribution has ruled in the SERS of such a system.     

黄曲霉素B_2分子吸附在银团簇的表面增强拉曼散射机理

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)B3LYP方法,6-311G(d,p)(C,H,O)/LANL2DZ(Ag)基组,计算了黄曲霉素B2(AFB2)分子吸附在Ag2团簇的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)光谱和预共振拉曼光谱,并与实验结果比较.结果显示:AFB2分子在基态Ag2团簇表面吸附时,增强因子最大达到102,对应吡喃(pyrane)环C=O伸缩振动,主要是由AFB2分子周围化学环境改变而引起的基态静极化率改变导致的化学增强.不同激发波长下的AFB2分子预共振拉曼光谱的增强强度不同:电荷转移态激发波长为1144和544 nm时拉曼信号增强了102倍,而选择电荷转移预共振波长432和410 nm作为入射光时,其拉曼信号增强了104倍,增强机理为银团簇和黄曲霉素分子之间的电荷转移共振增强.因此通过改变入射光波长,选择电荷转移共振激发波长,更有利于强致癌物AFB2分子的痕量检测.     

A surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy study of aminothiophenol and aminothiophenol-C60 self-assembled monolayers: evolution of Raman modes with experimental parameters

P-aminothiophenol (PATP) is a well-known molecule for the preparation of self-assembled monolayers on gold via its thiol functional group. After adsorption, it has been demonstrated that this molecule is anchored to gold through its thiol group, and standing nearly upright at the surface with the amino functional group on top. This molecule has been extensively studied by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy but its exact SERS spectrum remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that it can be strongly affected by at least two experimental parameters: laser power and layer density. Those features are discussed in terms of a dimerization of the PATP molecules. The free amino group affords the adsorption of other molecules such as C(60). In this case, a complex multilayer system is formed and the question of its precise characterisation remains a key point. In this article, we demonstrate that surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with x ray photoelectron spectroscopy can bring very important information about the organization of such a self-assembled multilayer on gold. In our study, the strong evolution of Raman modes after C(60) adsorption suggests a change in the organization of aminothiophenol molecules during C(60) adsorption. These changes, also observed when the aminothiophenol layer is annealed in toluene, do not prevent the adsorption of C(60) molecules.     

Exploring the chemical enhancement for surface-enhanced Raman scattering with Au bowtie nanoantennas

Single metallic bowtie nanoantennas provide a controllable environment for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of adsorbed molecules. Bowties have experimentally measured electromagnetic enhancements, enabling estimation of chemical enhancement for both the bulk and the few-molecule regime. Strong fluctuations of selected Raman lines imply that a small number of p-mercaptoaniline molecules on a single bowtie show chemical enhancement >10(7), much larger than previously believed, likely due to charge transfer between the Au surface and the molecule. This chemical sensitivity of SERS has significant implications for ultra-sensitive detection of single molecules.