Data@TAMU

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Browsing Data@TAMU by Award Number "-CHE 2108288.00"

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    Research Project
    Expanding the Capabilities of SERS via Electronic Raman Spectroscopy
    Chemistry; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/1092; National Science Foundation
    With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Matthew Sheldon and his group at Texas A&M University are learning how to use a specific type of molecular sensor to obtain new information about the changes in chemical systems when they interact with light at a metal surface; namely, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). This information is important for understanding how light from the sun can be converted into other forms of energy, such as chemical fuels. The molecular sensors are based on metal surfaces that are precisely structured at the nanometer scale. The reflection of light by these metal surfaces is strongly modified when molecules are on the sensor surface in a way that provides unique, identifying information about the molecules. The research team is examining a background signal caused by the reflection of light from the surface. This background signal is often ignored, but may provide new information about the transfer of energy into or out of molecules at the surface when irradiated with light, as well as additional information about the identity of the molecules. The project will provide support for graduate and undergraduate research students working in the Sheldon laboratory, and the team will work to recruit first-generation college students from underrepresented groups starting in their freshman year. In this work, Matthew T. Sheldon and his group are developing spectroscopic techniques to understand the photochemical behavior of metal substrates that are used for molecular sensing via surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). SERS spectroscopy typically measures the vibrational spectrum of a molecule, but the electronic Raman (eR) response of the metal SERS substrate also gives a strong background signal that has traditionally been ignored. The eR signal is characteristic of the energy distribution of electrons in the metal and can provide additional, unique chemical insights compared with the molecular SERS signal. This research by the Sheldon group examines how the eR signal can give detailed spectroscopic insights into the dynamics of electron excitation and charge transfer, even when there may be limited or ambiguous molecular signals (e.g. no Raman-active species). The experiments will provide a foundation for SERS methodologies that can provide quantitative insight into photochemistry and photocatalysis during low fluence, continuous wave (CW) illumination that is similar to the conditions that are relevant for solar energy conversion