Zhenchao Dong

Chemical mapping of a single molecule by plasmon-enhanced Raman scattering

Visualizing individual molecules with chemical recognition is a longstanding target in catalysis, molecular nanotechnology and biotechnology. Molecular vibrations provide a valuable ‘fingerprint’ for such identification. Vibrational spectroscopy based on tip-enhanced Raman scattering allows us to access the spectral signals of molecular species very efficiently via the strong localized plasmonic fields produced at the tip apex. However, the best spatial resolution of the tip-enhanced Raman scattering imaging is still limited to 3−15 nanometres, which is not adequate for resolving a single molecule chemically. Here we demonstrate Raman spectral imaging with spatial resolution below one nanometre, resolving the inner structure and surface configuration of a single molecule. This is achieved by spectrally matching the resonance of the nanocavity plasmon to the molecular vibronic transitions, particularly the downward transition responsible for the emission of Raman photons. This matching is made possible by the extremely precise tuning capability provided by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Experimental evidence suggests that the highly confined and broadband nature of the nanocavity plasmon field in the tunnelling gap is essential for ultrahigh-resolution imaging through the generation of an efficient double-resonance enhancement for both Raman excitation and Raman emission. Our technique not only allows for chemical imaging at the single-molecule level, but also offers a new way to study the optical processes and photochemistry of a single molecule.

Distinguishing adjacent molecules on a surface using plasmon-enhanced Raman scattering

Unambiguous chemical identification of individual molecules closely packed on a surface can offer the possibility to address single chemical species and monitor their behaviour at the individual level. Such a degree of spatial resolution can in principle be achieved by detecting their vibrational fingerprints using tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS). The chemical specificity of TERS can be combined with the high spatial resolution of scanning probe microscopy techniques, an approach that has stimulated extensive research in the field. Recently, the development of nonlinear TERS in a scanning tunnelling microscope has pushed the spatial resolution down to ∼0.5 nm, allowing the identification of the vibrational fingerprints of isolated molecules on Raman-silent metal surfaces. Although the nonlinear TERS component is likely to help sharpen the optical contrast of the acquired image, the TERS signal still contains a considerable contribution from the linear term, which is spatially less confined. Therefore, in the presence of different adjacent molecules, a mixing of Raman signals may result. Here, we show that using a nonlinear scanning tunnelling microscope-controlled TERS set-up, two different adjacent molecules that are within van der Waals contact and of very similar chemical structure (a metal-centred porphyrin and a free-base porphyrin) on a silver surface can be distinguished in real space. In addition, with the help of density functional theory simulations, we are also able to determine their adsorption configurations and orientations on step edges and terraces.

Visualizing coherent intermolecular dipole–dipole coupling in real space

Many important energy-transfer and optical processes, in both biological and artificial systems, depend crucially on excitonic coupling that spans several chromophores. Such coupling can in principle be described in a straightforward manner by considering the coherent intermolecular dipole–dipole interactions involved. However, in practice, it is challenging to directly observe in real space the coherent dipole coupling and the related exciton delocalizations, owing to the diffraction limit in conventional optics. Here we demonstrate that the highly localized excitations that are produced by electrons tunnelling from the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope, in conjunction with imaging of the resultant luminescence, can be used to map the spatial distribution of the excitonic coupling in well-defined arrangements of a few zinc-phthalocyanine molecules. The luminescence patterns obtained for excitons in a dimer, which are recorded for different energy states and found to resemble σ and π molecular orbitals, reveal the local optical response of the system and the dependence of the local optical response on the relative orientation and phase of the transition dipoles of the individual molecules in the dimer. We generate an in-line arrangement up to four zinc-phthalocyanine molecules, with a larger total transition dipole, and show that this results in enhanced ‘single-molecule’ superradiance from the oligomer upon site-selective excitation. These findings demonstrate that our experimental approach provides detailed spatial information about coherent dipole–dipole coupling in molecular systems, which should enable a greater understanding and rational engineering of light-harvesting structures and quantum light sources.

Charge transfer and retention in directly coupled Au-CdSe nanohybrids

AbstractThe energy and charge transfer dynamics of directly coupled Au-CdSe hybrid nanocrystals have been studied using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The PL of such nanohybrids was found to be quenched dramatically compared to that of both CdSe quantum dots and mixtures of CdSe quantum dots with Au nanoparticles. Fluorescence decay curves of the Au-CdSe nanohybrids show three distinct decay channels with the fastest one associated with the transfer of electrons from the CdSe portion to the Au portion. The holes on the CdSe portion created by such charge transfer were then quickly taken away by the solution, while the electrons on the Au portion slowly leaked into the solution as well, thus serving as a reductant for redox reactions. Using a model reaction based on the reduction of methylene blue by the leaking electrons, our photocatalytic experiments indicate that the electrons can be temporarily retained in the Au portion (most likely at the Au-capping agent interface) for a dramatically long timescale, up to 100 min. Finally, by merging all of the observations in the time-resolved PL measurements, we were able to figure out a relatively complete picture of charge transfer and retention in the Au-CdSe nanohybrids. This picture is expected to guide researchers in designing modern photocatalysts and solar cells constructed from nanoscale metal-semiconductor hybrids.

Theoretical Modeling of Plasmon-Enhanced Raman Images of a Single Molecule with Subnanometer Resolution

Sai Duan, 2 Guangjun Tian, Yongfei Ji, Jiushu Shao, and Yi Luo 2, ∗ Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026 Anhui, P. R. China. Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Key Laboratory of Theoretical Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China. (Dated: June 19, 2014)Under local plasmonic excitation, Raman images of single molecules can now surprisingly reach subnanometer resolution. However, its physical origin has not been fully understood. Here we report a quantum-mechanical description of the interaction between a molecule and a highly confined plasmonic field. We show that when the spatial distribution of the plasmonic field is comparable to the size of the molecule, the optical transition matrix of the molecule becomes dependent on the position and distribution of the plasmonic field, resulting in a spatially resolved high-resolution Raman image of the molecule. The resonant Raman image reflects the electronic transition density of the molecule. In combination with first-principles calculations, the simulated Raman image of a porphyrin derivative adsorbed on a silver surface nicely reproduces its experimental counterpart. The present theory provides the basic framework for describing linear and nonlinear responses of molecules under highly confined plasmonic fields.

Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Imaging of Individual Carbon Nanotubes with Subnanometer Resolution

Individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) using silver tips on the Ag(111) substrate with a low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. Thanks to the strong and highly localized plasmonic field offered by the silver nanogap, the spatial resolution of TERS on CNTs is driven down to about 0.7 nm. Such a high spatial resolution allows to visualize in real space the spatial extent of the defect-induced D-band scattering, to track the strain-induced spectral evolution, and to resolve the spectral differences between the inner and the outer sides of a bent CNT, all at the nanometer scale.

Self-decoupled porphyrin with a tripodal anchor for molecular-scale electroluminescence.

A self-decoupled porphyrin with a tripodal anchor has been synthesized and deposited on Au(111) using different wet-chemistry methods. Nanoscale electroluminescence from single porphyrin molecules or aggregates on Au(111) has been realized by tunneling electron excitation. The molecular origin of the luminescence is established by the vibrationally resolved fluorescence spectra observed. The rigid tripodal anchor not only acts as a decoupling spacer but also controls the orientation of the molecule. Intense molecular electroluminescence can be obtained from the emission enhancement provided by a good coupling between the molecular transition dipole and the axial nanocavity plasmon. The unipolar performance of the electroluminescence from the designed tripodal molecule suggests that the porphyrin molecule is likely to be excited by the injection of hot electrons, and then the excited state decays radiatively through Franck-Condon π*-π transitions. These results open up a new route to generating electrically driven nanoscale light sources.

STM studies of initial In growth on Si(100)2 × 1: the In ad-dimer chain and its I-V characteristics

Abstract Initial growth of In on Si(100)2 × 1 was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures. Indium atoms are found to nucleate preferably around S B steps and grow into one-dimensional ad-dimer chains. The individual In atoms within an ad-dimer are resolved for the first time through two maxima (∼ 3A apart) for each oblong protrusion in the empty states. Furthermore, the orientation of the ad-dimer is evidently along the chain direction, thereby justifying the parallel ad-dimer model. We also probe the electronic nature of In ad-dimer chains through the I–V characteristics, which shows the existence of a surface-state bandgap (∼ 1.5 eV). The semiconducting property so implied and the ad-dimer chain structure are further rationalized by the Peierls pairing mechanism, that is, the half-filling of the In p-band leads to an electron-phonon coupling that animates the dimerization and opens up a gap just at the Fermi level.

Influence of a dielectric layer on photon emission induced by a scanning tunneling microscope

We investigate theoretically the influence of a dielectric layer on light emission induced by a scanning tunneling microscope through a combined approach of classical electrodynamics and first-principles calculations. The modification of the junction geometry upon the insertion of a dielectric layer is treated first by using the density functional theory to calculate the effective potential along the surface normal and then by solving a one-dimensional Schrodinger equation to obtain the exact distance between the tip and the substrate for a given current and bias voltage. The modified external field with the inclusion of a dielectric layer is evaluated by using the Fresnel formula. The local-field enhancement factor and radiated power are calculated by the boundary element method for two typical systems, W-tip/C(60)/Au(111) and W-tip/Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(110). The calculated results indicate that the insertion of a dielectric layer tends to reduce the light emission intensity considerably but hardly changes the spectral profile with no substantial peak shifts with respect to the layer-free situation, in agreement with experimental observations. The suppression of the radiated power is mainly due to the increase in the tip-metal separation and the resultant reduction in the electromagnetic coupling between the tip and metal substrate.

Light Emission from Porphyrin Molecules Induced by a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Positioning of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip above Cu-tetra-(3,5-di-tertiary-butyl-phenyl)-porphyrin (Cu-TBPP) molecules on Cu(100) is found to induce plasmon-mediated emission and molecular luminescence when bias voltages are above ~ 2.3 V. Optical spectra acquired at a low current of 0.2 nA suggest not only the enhancement effect of the molecules on light emission but also new features associated with the molecules. The quantum efficiency of such light emission excited by inelastic tunneling is on the order of 10-6 photons per electron.