Surface- and Tip-enhanced Raman-Spectroscopy on the Front Cover of Chemical Society Reviews

Over the last 15 years, tip-enhanced Raman-spectroscopy (TERS) has established itself as an important analytical method for the analysis of inorganic, organic and biological material. Like no other method, the optical microscopy technique provides information on the chemical composition of an analyzed sample with such high sensitivity and a resolution on the nanometer scale. A general review about the relatively young technique originates from a cooperation with the University of Osaka, Japan. The authors follow the technical and experimental development of the method, from its beginning in 2000 up to now. Selected examples illustrate possibilities as well as limitations and new concepts of TERS. 

A second contribution, highlighted as “hot-article“, discusses the fundamental question of the resolution limit of the technique. In recent experiments, the authors from Heifei, China; San Sebastian, Spain; and Jena found distinct indications that the spatial resolution of TERS, unlike so far known, can reach less than one nanometer. Nevertheless, quite recently the theoretic models did not suffice to explain this high resolution. The contribution debates this very discrepancy and intends to lead to a more detailed understanding of the actually reachable resolution as well as of limiting experimental and theoretical factors. 

Just as TERS, surface-enhanced Raman-spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly specific, sensitive, and non-destructive analytical method, which is particularly suited for the analysis of chemical and molecular characteristics of biological samples. The review from the research group around Prof. Jürgen Popp describes new SERS-techniques for biological and biomedical application that have been investigated and advanced during the last three years. The authors emphasize the clinical significance of this approach with examples such as detection of cancers cells and tumor margins using SERS under in vivo conditions, as well as theranostic approaches. 

The journal Chemical Society Reviews has an impact-factor over 38 and dedicates the current special issue to the surface- and tip-enhanced spectroscopy methods.