Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

About Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: 

• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy or surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a surface-sensitive technique that enhances Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on rough metal surfaces.
• It enhances the Raman scattering signals of molecules close to nanostructured metallic surfaces, typically gold or silver. 
• It provides the same information that normal Raman spectroscopy does, but with a greatly enhanced signal.
• Applications: It has become a powerful tool in chemical, material and life sciences, owing to its intrinsic features 

What is Raman Spectroscopy?

• It is a spectroscopic technique used in condensed matter physics and chemistry to study vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system.
• It depends on the inelastic scattering, or Raman scattering of monochromatic light, usually from a laser in the visible, near-infrared or near-ultraviolet range of electromagnetic spectra.
  • Raman scattering or Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of photons from an atom or a molecule.
  • This effect was discovered by the famous Indian physicist C V Raman in the year 1928.

Q1:What is SERS and why is it special?

Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is a phenomenon that enhances the Raman scattering signals of molecules close to nanostructured metallic surfaces, typically gold or silver. Indeed, these surfaces create intense local electromagnetic fields, amplifying the Raman signals of nearby molecules.

Source: PIB

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