Plasmon chemistry revealed by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

The excitation of surface plasmon resonances in noble metal nanostructures leads to an enhancement of the electric field around the nanoparticles, but also to the formation of hot charge carriers in the nanoparticles and eventually to an increased temperature of the nanoparticles and their environment [1]. All these effects can be exploited in e.g. in photocatalysis, light harvesting and photothermal cancer therapy. Furthermore, chemical reactions induced by plasmonically generated hot electrons can be efficiently driven by light. However, the underlying mechanisms are currently controversially discussed [1]. We have studied a range of different plasmon-induced chemical reactions by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and determined their kinetics in detail in order to identify the underlying reaction mechanisms and to explore novel chemical reaction pathways [2, 3]. Furthermore, we aim to monitor plasmon induced chemical reactions on a single molecule level using DNA origami nanostructures equipped with gold or silver nanoparticles as SERS substrates [4, 5]. The potential to create novel plasmonic nanostructures using DNA origami and Initial attempts for single-molecule detection by SERS will be presented and challenges discussed.

[1] Tian et al., Nature Reviews Chemistry 2018, 2, 216.

[2] Schürmann, Bald, Nanoscale 2017, 9, 1951.

[3] Schürmann, …, Bald, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2019, 10, 3153.

[4] Prinz, …, Bald, Nanoscale 2016, 8, 5612.

[5] Heck, …, Bald, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 7444.