Quality of Single Layer Graphene

Top articles published this week include an interview about aromatic–metal interactions, a tutorial article about the recent advancements in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), and a news article about using shortwave and near-infrared (SWIR/NIR) spectral imaging in cultural heritage applications.

An interview with Paul Pudney, a winner of the William F. Meggers Award.

Researchers have developed an analytical method combining remote near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy with machine learning to noninvasively map moisture and salt damage in historic buildings, offering critical insight into ongoing structural deterioration.

Volker Deckert, the winner of the 2013 Charles Mann Award, is advancing the use of tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) to push the lateral resolution of vibrational spectroscopy well below the Abbe limit, to achieve single-molecule sensitivity. Because the tip can be moved with sub-nanometer precision, structural information with unmatched spatial resolution can be achieved without the need of specific labels.

In this tutorial article, Yukihiro Ozaki explores the recent advancements and broadening applications of tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS), a cutting-edge technique that integrates scanning probe microscopy (SPM) with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). TERS enables highly localized chemical analysis at the nano- to subnano-scale, achieving spatial resolution well beyond the diffraction limit of light. Ozaki highlights the versatility of TERS in various experimental environments—ranging from ambient air to ultrahigh vacuum and electrochemical systems—and its powerful utility in fields such as single-molecule detection, biomolecular mechanism studies, nanomaterial characterization, and high-resolution imaging.

Raman spectroscopy emerges as a powerful tool for quantifying adenine in nucleic acid therapeutics, enhancing analytical efficiency and quality assessment.