PNNL

Abstract

We record local optical field images of silver nanocubes (75 nm) using tip-enhanced Raman (TER) spectral imaging. The images we observe are consistent with several recent reports from our group, but here, we demonstrate sub-2 nm spatial resolution in local optical field nano-imaging under ambient laboratory conditions. This is achieved by scanning the substrate (nanocube on Si) relative to a 4-thiobenzonitrile (TBN)-functionalized Au-coated TER probe. The spatial resolution we obtain necessitates that only a few molecules govern the recorded optical response; molecular orientation becomes an important consideration in such measurements. We model the orientation through geometry optimization of a TBN molecule chemisorbed onto an Ag79 cluster (sphere with a ~1 nm diameter). Using the computed orientation of the cluster-bound molecule, we then model the optical response using a formalism that accounts for the orientation of the molecule relative to vector components of the local optical fields. We find optimal agreement between experiment and theory. In effect, this work reveals the parallels between single molecule Raman scattering and high-spatial resolution TER spectroscopy, even when the images themselves cannot be used to visualize a single molecule in real space.