Toward a New Era of SERS and TERS at the Nanometer Scale: From Fundamentals to Innovative Applications

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) have opened a variety of exciting research fields. However, although a vast number of applications have been proposed since the two techniques were first reported, none has been applied to real practical use. This calls for an update in the recent fundamental and application studies of SERS and TERS. Thus, the goals and scope of this review are to report new directions and perspectives of SERS and TERS, mainly from the viewpoint of combining their mechanism and application studies. Regarding the recent progress in SERS and TERS, this review discusses four main topics: (1) nanometer to subnanometer plasmonic hotspots for SERS; (2) angstrom ngstro''m resolved TERS; (3) chemical mechanisms, i.e., charge-transfer mechanism of SERS and semiconductor-enhanced Raman scattering; and (4) the creation of a strong bridge between the mechanism studies and applications.

Automated summary

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) have opened up exciting research fields, but their practical applications are still limited. This review aims to update the recent fundamental and application studies of SERS and TERS and explore new directions and perspectives by combining their mechanisms and applications. It discusses topics such as plasmonic hotspots for SERS, angstrom-resolved TERS, chemical mechanisms, and bridging the gap between mechanism studies and applications.