Surface-enhanced Raman scattering in the ultraviolet spectral region: UV-SERS on rhodium and ruthenium electrodes

We report the first observation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) excited with ultraviolet (UV) light from transition metal electrodes. Adsorbed pyridine and SCN- on rough rhodium (Rh) and ruthenium (Ru) electrodes, respectively, have been studied using 325 nm laser excitation. In contrast, the best enhancers in the visible and near infrared, silver and gold, do not produce UV-SERS. The experimental data of UV-SERS are in agreement with our preliminary theoretical calculation based on the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism. The enhancement factor is about 2 orders of magnitude for the Rh and Ru electrodes when they are excited at 325 nm.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic study of 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide adsorbed on gold and platinum-group transition metal electrodes

Self-assembled monolayers of 1, 4-phenylene diisocyanide (PDI) were formed on Au and Pt-group transition metals and examined by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy under controlled applied potential. On all of the metals examined, PDI adsorbs in an edge-on manner, with one NC group bound to the surface and the other pointing away from the surface. The N-C stretching frequency (nu(NC)) suggests that depending on the metal, PDI adsorbs on different binding sites: terminal sites on Au, both terminal and bridging on Rh and Pt, and predominantly 3-fold hollow sites for Pd. This binding site preference can be understood in terms of the difference in d-band center energy and d-orbital filling among the metals. The applied potential affects the N-C bonding differently as inferred from the potential dependence of nu(NC). On Au, Rh, and Pd, the nu(NC) increases linearly with the applied potential, yielding a Stark tuning slope, dnu(NC)/dE, of 25, 12, and 10 cm(-1)/V, respectively. On Pt, the nu(NC) is nearly independent of the applied potential. On all of the metals studied, the frequencies of benzene ring vibration modes are not dependent on the applied potential, consistent with the edge-on orientation in which the ring does not directly interact with the surface. Several ring vibrations are, however, sensitive to the nature of metal substrate due to different binding sites involved. The ability of the free NC group to function as an anchoring point is demonstrated by the attachment of gold nanoparticles on PDI-covered Au and Pd. The study provides useful NC-metal bonding information for isocyanide-based molecular electronic developments.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of water adsorbed on silver electrodes

Temporal evolution of the Raman spectra of H₂O, D₂O and HDO during an oxidation-reduction cycle of a Ag electrode in aqueous 1 M KCl or KBr has been recorded with an optical multichannel analyzer. Surface enhanced Raman spectra of the adsorbed water are readily observable and are different from the Raman spectra of bulk water.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic studies of coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1

We report, for the first time, the surface-enhanced Raman spectra of an important enzyme, coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1), involved in various biological activities such as tumor suppressor function and stem cell differentiation. We have employed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to obtain insight into the structural details of CARM1 by adsorbing it to silver (Ag) nanoparticles. The enzyme retains its activity even after its adsorption onto Ag nanoparticles. We observe strong SERS modes arising from amide vibrations and aromatic ring amino acids. The SERS spectra revealed amide I bands at 1637 cm(-1) and 1666 cm(-1), which arise as a result of the alpha helix of the protein and the polypeptide backbone vibration of a random coil, respectively. In order to confirm the amide vibrations, we have performed SERS on deuterated CARM1, which exhibits a clear red shift in amide band positions. The SERS spectra may provide useful information, which could be harnessed to study the functional interactions of CARM1 with small molecule modulators.     

Raman spectroscopic investigation of silver electrodes

Raman spectroscopy has been applied to the study of the reduction of carbon dioxide and of formate and carbonate ions at a silver electrode. Raman spectra of adsorbed intermediate species, which are as yet only partially identified, have been detected and show marked variations with electrode potential. These spectral variations are clearly correlated with the voltammetric features for carbonate solutions and suggest that these reduction products complicate most measurements on silver electrodes in the cathodic region. The interpretation of the previously reported spectra due to adsorbed pyridine at silver electrodes has been reconsidered; interactions with surface carboxy species may be significant.     

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopic characterization of the protein native structure

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectra of biological species are often different from their resonance Raman (RR) spectra. A home-designed Raman flow system is used to determine the factors that contribute to the difference between the SERRS and RR of met-myoglobin (metMb). The results indicate that both the degree of protein-nanoparticles interaction and the laser irradiation contribute to the structural changes and are responsible for the observed differences between the SERRS and RR spectra of metMb. The prolonged adsorption of the protein molecules on the nanoparticle surface, which is the condition normally used for the conventional SERRS experiments, disturbs the heme pocket structure and facilitates the charge transfer process and the photoinduced transformation of proteins. The disruption of the heme pocket results in the loss of the distal water molecule, and the resulting SERRS spectrum of metMb shows a 5-coordinated high-spin heme. The flow system, when operated at a moderately high flow rate, can basically eliminate the factors that disturb the protein structure while maintaining a high enhancement factor. The SERRS spectrum obtained from a 1 x 10 (-7) M metMb solution using this flow system is basically identical to the RR spectrum of a 5 x 10 (-4) M metMb solution. Therefore, the Raman flow system reported here should be useful for characterizing the protein-nanoparticles interaction and the native structure of proteins using SERRS spectroscopy.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of pyridine on platinum and nickel electrodes in nonaqueous solutions

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of pyridine adsorbed onto bare platinum and nickel electrodes in nonaqueous solutions are reported in this Letter. There are similarities and differences between the SERS from aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. The surface enhancement factor for platinum in acetonitrile solution has been calculated to decrease by a factor of ca. 10 compared with that in the aqueous media. The double-band character for the ring breathing mode is observed at 1009 and 1019 cm⁻¹. Two adsorption modes of pyridine on the platinum surface were assumed. Part of the pyridine molecules may be chemisorbed onto the surface, with the ring plane oriented vertical to the surface; other pyridine molecules may co-adsorb with lithium cations onto the surface.     

CO and methanol oxidation at platinum-tin electrodes

Electrooxidation of dissolved CO and methanol at platinum-tin electrodes with different phase composition (a two-phase Sn/Pt-catalyst, Pt-Sn alloy, and Pt₃Sn intermetallic compound) is studied. All studied catalysts show higher catalytic activity in the CO oxidation at lower potentials (0.3–0.5 V against reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), as compared with platinum; no catalysis is observed at higher potentials (0.7 V); moreover, inhibiting is observed in some cases. The catalyst with the most strongly ordered structure (Pt₃Sn) demonstrated the highest catalytic activity; however, it appeared being less stable against oxidation at potentials more positive than 1.0 V. Catalytic effects were practically absent in the CO-adsorbate oxidation process. The sequence of catalyst activities in the methanol oxidation process differed from that in the CO oxidation; in particular, Pt3Sn appeared being the least active. The observed difference can be associated with the difference in the CO and methanol adsorption mechanisms. The effect of the carbonaceous support dispersion on the current-voltage curves is discussed.     

The electrooxidation of methanol and related compounds at ruthenium dioxide-coated electrodes

The underlying metal was observed to corrode when a ruthenium dioxide-coated titanium electrode was anodized in an aqueous methanol solution. With a similarly coated platinum electrode peaks were observed on the voltammogram below 1.0 V which were attributed to methanol oxidation on the underlying metal. This effect was more pronounced when the electrode was subjected during cycling to potentials close to 0 V. Rapid oxidation of methanol on RuO₂ was observed at potentials above 1.0 V, the rate at a given potential increasing in an approximately linear manner with increasing alcohol concentration. The rate of reaction also increased with increasing temperature and increasing surface roughness. Tafel slope values were rather high (>100 mV decade^?1) and a mechanism involving anodically generated species such as OH_ads was proposed to account for these results. The variation of activity with pH was similar to that reported earlier for oxygen evolution at these anodes and this was again explained in terms of partial deactivation of the surface due to a combination of proton loss and phosphate ion adsorption at intermediate pH values. The release of carbon dioxide from aqueous solutions of higher alcohols at 25°C confirmed the high oxidizing power of RuO₂ anodes.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic detection of Bacillus subtilis spores using gold nanoparticle based substrates

The detection of bacterial spores requires the capability of highly sensitive and biocompatible probes. This report describes the findings of an investigation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) detection of Bacillus subtilis spores using gold-nanoparticle (Au NP) based substrates as the spectroscopic probe. The SERS substrates are shown to be highly sensitive for the detection of B. subtilis spores, which release calcium dipicolinate (CaDPA) as a biomarker. The SERS bands of CaDPA released from the spores by extraction using nitric acid provide the diagnostic signal for the detection, exhibiting a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.5×10(9) spores L(-1) (or 2.5×10(-14) M). The LOD for the Au NP based substrates is quite comparable with that reported for Ag nanoparticle based substrates for the detection of spores, though the surface adsorption equilibrium constant is found to be smaller by a factor of 1-2 orders of magnitude than the Ag nanoparticle based substrates. The results have also revealed the viability of SERS detection of CaDPA released from the spores under ambient conditions without extraction using any reagents, showing a significant reduction of the diagnostic peak width for the detection. These findings have demonstrated the viability of Au NP based SERS substrates for direct use with high resolution and sensitivity as a biocompatible probe for the detection of bacterial spores.     

Catalytic effects on methanol oxidation produced by cathodization of platinum electrodes

A catalytic effect is found for methanol oxidation after new active surface states are produced on polycrystalline platinum by potentiostatic cathodization in acid media at room temperature. This procedure originates surface states not available on the original polycrystalline electrodes with unexpected cyclic voltammetric responses; i.e., at least four new peaks below 0.9 V are observed. The cathodization process also induces a rearrangement of the bulk platinum oxide, showing a defined peak at 1.2 V. The appearance of these new states is also proven by open-circuit potential decays. The electrocatalytic activity of these new surfaces in methanol oxidation is compared with that of the untreated electrodes by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry, and cyclic voltammetry. The cathodic procedure enhances the methanol oxidation voltammetric current peaks with charge density values higher than those on untreated platinum. The integration of chronoamperometric plots over 10 min in methanol acid media presents the largest difference between 0.6 and 0.7 V with respect to the original surface. Analysis of the impedance data shows that the values of polarization resistance for methanol oxidation on the cathodically treated platinum are lower than those of the original surface. According to the time constant values for methanol oxidation, the original surface can be considered less tolerant of the formation of catalytic poisons. A discussion of the most likely mechanism for the formation of the new active sites on platinum is presented here, assuming the presence of hydrogen subsurface states, ordered water clusters, and low-coordinated platinum atoms.     

Development of Novel Substrates for Surface-enhanced Raman and Surface-enhanced Hyper Raman Spectroscopy

Since its discovery two decades ago, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been explored extensively as a useful technique in the study of molecular behaviors at interfaces and in chemical and biochemical analysis. At solid-liquid interface, SERS has been practiced mainly in aqueous solution on either aggregated metal colloids or roughened metal electrodes. However, both aggregated metal colloids and roughened electrodes have their own problems as SERS substrates. One of the intriguing questions in exploring SERS application in chemistry is that can SERS-activity be gained and regulated from the dispersed metal nanoparticles immobilized on a SERS-inactive smooth electrode surface. The very essence of this question is to explore the effect on SERS-activity when the main features of two conventional SERS-surfaces, namely metal colloids and electrode, are combined. Same question can also be asked for the nonlinear three-photon surface-enhanced hyper Raman scattering (SEHRS).     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering on colloidal nanostructures

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering combines extremely high sensitivity, due to enhanced Raman cross-sections comparable or even better than fluorescence, with the observation of vibrational spectra of adsorbed species, providing one of the most incisive analytical methods for chemical and biochemical detection and analysis. SERS spectra are observed from a molecule-nanostructure enhancing system. This symbiosis molecule-nanostructure is a fertile ground for theoretical developments and a realm of applications from single molecule detection to biomedical diagnostic and techniques for nanostructure characterization.     

Raman and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering of Chlorophenols

Raman spectrum is a powerful analytical tool for determining the chemical information of compounds. In this study, we obtained analytical results of chlorophenols(CPs) molecules including 4-chlorophenol(4-CP), 2,6-dich- lorophenol(2,6-DCP) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol(2,4,6-TCP) on the surface of Ag dendrites by surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) spectra. SEM images indicate that the SERS substrate of Ag dendrites is composed of a large number of polygonal nanocrystallites, which self-assembled into a 3D hierarchical structure. It was found that there were distinct differences for those three molecules from Raman and SERS spectra. This indicates that SERS could be a new tool of detection technique regarding trace amounts of CPs.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of DNA

We report a method for obtaining highly reproducible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of single and double-stranded thiolated DNA oligomers. Following a protocol that relaxes the DNA into an extended conformation, SERS spectra of DNA oligonucleotides are found to be extremely similar, strongly dominated by the Stokes modes of adenine. A spectral correlation function analysis useful for assessing reproducibility and for quantifying the highly complex changes corresponding to modifications in molecular conformation of the adsorbate molecules is introduced. This approach is used to monitor the interaction of DNA with cisplatin, a chemotherapy agent in widespread use.     

Selective oxidation of methanol and ethanol on supported ruthenium oxide clusters at low temperatures

RuO2 domains supported on SnO2, ZrO2, TiO2, Al2O3, and SiO2 catalyze the oxidative conversion of methanol to formaldehyde, methylformate, and dimethoxymethane with unprecedented rates and high combined selectivity (>99%) and yield at low temperatures (300-400 K). Supports influence turnover rates and the ability of RuO2 domains to undergo redox cycles required for oxidation turnovers. Oxidative dehydrogenation turnover rates and rates of stoichiometric reduction of RuO2 in H2 increased in parallel when RuO2 domains were dispersed on more reducible supports. These support effects, the kinetic effects of CH3OH and O2 on reaction rates, and the observed kinetic isotope effects with CH3OD and CD3OD reactants are consistent with a sequence of elementary steps involving kinetically relevant H-abstraction from adsorbed methoxide species using lattice oxygen atoms and with methoxide formation in quasi-equilibrated CH3OH dissociation on nearly stoichiometric RuO2 surfaces. Anaerobic transient experiments confirmed that CH3OH oxidation to HCHO requires lattice oxygen atoms and that selectivities are not influenced by the presence of O2. Residence time effects on selectivity indicate that secondary HCHO-CH3OH acetalization reactions lead to hemiacetal or methoxymethanol intermediates that convert to dimethoxymethane in reactions with CH3OH on support acid sites or dehydrogenate to form methylformate on RuO2 and support redox sites. These conclusions are consistent with the tendency of Al2O3 and SiO2 supports to favor dimethoxymethane formation, while SnO2, ZrO2, and TiO2 preferentially form methylformate. These support effects on secondary reactions were confirmed by measured CH3OH oxidation rates and selectivities on physical mixtures of supported RuO2 catalysts and pure supports. Ethanol also reacts on supported RuO2 domains to form predominately acetaldehyde and diethoxyethane at 300-400 K. The bifunctional nature of these reaction pathways and the remarkable ability of RuO2-based catalysts to oxidize CH3OH to HCHO at unprecedented low temperatures introduce significant opportunities for new routes to complex oxygenates, including some containing C-C bonds, using methanol or ethanol as intermediates derived from natural gas or biomass.     

Catalytic effects of ruthenium and osmium spontaneous deposition on platinum surfaces toward methanol oxidation

The influence of ruthenium and osmium spontaneous deposition on polycrystalline platinum in sulfuric acid was studied by conventional electrochemical techniques. The inhibition of the hydrogen adatom voltammetric profile by the foreign adatoms was used to calculate the degree of surface coverage of ruthenium, osmium, and a mixture of both metal ions from solutions of different composition. Methanol adsorption and oxidation were compared on bare platinum, platinum/ruthenium, platinum/osmium, and ternary compounds, considering the efficiency of methanol oxidation per hydrogen adatom displaced by the foreign metal on platinum.     

Diimine-acetylide compounds of ruthenium: the structural and spectroscopic effects of oxidation

The reaction of Ru(Me(2)bipy)(PPh(3))(2)Cl(2) 1 with terminal alkynes HCCR in the presence of TlPF(6) leads to the formation of the vinylidene compounds [Ru(Me(2)bipy)(PPh(3))(2)Cl(=C=CHR)][PF(6)] (2) (2a, R = Bu(t); 2b, R = p-C(6)H(4)-Me; 2c, R = Ph). These compounds decompose in oxygenated solution to form the carbonyl compound [Ru(Me(2)bipy)(PPh(3))(2)Cl(CO)][PF(6)] (3), and may be deprotonated by K(2)CO(3) to give the ruthenium(II) terminal acetylide compounds Ru(Me(2)bipy)(PPh(3))(2)Cl(CC-R) (4) (4a, R = Bu(t); 4b, R = p-C(6)H(4)-Me; 4c, R = Ph). Cyclic voltammetry shows that 2a-c may also be reductively dehydrogenated to form 4a-c. 4a-c are readily oxidized to their ruthenium(III) analogues [4a](+)-[4c](+), and the changes seen in their UV/visible spectra upon performing this oxidation are analyzed. These show that whereas the UV/visible spectra of 4a-c show MLCT bands from the ruthenium atom to the bipyridyl ligand, those of [4a](+)-[4c](+) contain LMCT bands originating on the acetylide ligands. This is in agreement with the IR and ESR spectra of [4a](+)-[4c](+). The X-ray crystal structures of the redox pair 4a and [4a][PF(6)()] have been determined, allowing the bonding within the metal-acetylide unit to be analyzed, and an attempt is made to determine Lever electrochemical parameters (E(L)) for the vinylidene and acetylide ligands seen herein. Room temperature luminescence measurements on 4a-c show that the compounds are not strongly emissive.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering on mercaptopyridine-capped CdS microclusters

We obtained the high-quality Raman spectra of 4-mercaptopyridine (4-Mpy) adsorbed on CdS microclusters. The Raman signals were enhanced relative to the same molecules in solution. We compared the Raman spectra of 4-Mpy molecules adsorbed on CdS microclusters and Ag substrate. The difference of 4-Mpy molecules adsorbed on semiconductor and metal substrate was revealed. The results demonstrated that adsorbed species on semiconductor CdS can be detected by SERS spectroscopy.     

Raman spectroscopic study of dye adsorption on TiO2 electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells

The state of dye adsorption on TiO₂ electrodes in dye-sensitized solar-cell (DSSC) systems is important for its power-conversion efficiency (PCE). We propose a non-destructive and quantitative method to evaluate the amount of adsorbed dye on TiO₂ electrodes by using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The Raman peak intensity ratio of adsorbed dye to TiO₂, I_d/I_t, is defined as a dye adsorption parameter. Based on a comparison between I_d/I_t and the amount of dye evaluated from UV–vis absorption, the quantitativity and reproducibility of our method are verified.We investigated the change of I_d/I_t spatial distribution of TiO₂ electrodes immersed in a dye solution for different time scales. The statistical analysis of I_d/I_t distribution suggests that dyes adsorbed on TiO₂ electrodes with chemical coordination increase at first, and after their saturation, dye aggregations are formed over the chemisorption layer. We also describe the effect of the I_d/I_t distribution on PCE. From a comparison of PCE and I_d/I_t distribution obtained from various immersion processes, it was considered that the PCE of DSSCs can be optimized by minimizing the I_d/I_t dispersion.