Scientists reveal the secrets of the interaction of aromatic molecules with gold

A research team led by Professor Yang Liangbao of Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), observed the interactions between aromatic molecules and Au surfaces on a single Au nanodimer by enhanced Raman spectroscopy on the surface (SERS).

The study is published in Analytical Chemistry and was selected as the issue’s cover.

The interface interaction between aromatic molecules and noble metals occupies an important place in fundamental scientific and technological applications. However, due to the limitations of characterization technology and the complexity of experimental conditions, there is still a lack of quantitative understanding of the specific mechanism of this interaction under environmental conditions.

To solve this problem, the research team constructed an Au nanodimer structure with a subnanometer gap. Based on this structure, scientists obtained information about the spectrum of surface molecular vibrations using SERS.

They also performed highly sensitive SERS detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using the same structure. They found that the SERS sensitivity of PAHs increases as the number of aromatic rings in the molecule increases. This provides a new idea for the highly sensitive detection of aromatic molecules.

At the same time, the physical adsorption types of aromatic molecules on the Au surface and the electron density distribution at the interface were also revealed.

This research shows the strong potential of SERS in studying interfacial interaction at the single molecular level and also provides new implications for fundamental research and technical applications in related fields.