Accurate
quantification of substrate characteristics is a central
pursuit within the field of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
A theory based on single-molecule SERS (SM-SERS) statistics was developed
for comprehensive substrate evaluation. This approach is applicable
to general substrates possessing many hotspots and is capable of quantifying
hotspot strength variation using a minimal set of fitting parameters.
The model was validated for simulated substrates and then applied
to the SM-SERS statistics of a roughened silver electrode, for which
the degree of hotspot uniformity was quantified. The fitted model
parameters provide important information concerning the structure–activity
relationship of hotspots and can be used to directly compare SERS
substrates. Overall, our results present an experimentally determinable
parameter set that potentially improves upon the widely used “average
enhancement factor” metric currently used for SERS substrate
evaluation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.