A simple method to understand molecular conformation on surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate

Adsorbent-substrate interaction determines the properties and performance of the interfacial system. The adsorption conformation plays a big role in adsorption, but it is under-researched. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and other techniques to obtain surface conformation are limited due to their working conditions. In this work, an easy and simple Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) method is developed to study the conformation of adsorbents. A series of SERS substrates under different assembly concentrations show the inconsistent SERS spectrums, resulting in a new finding of molecular conformation different from results before. The double-end adsorption conformation would shed light on the understanding of organic-metal interaction, tribofilm analysis and the development of catalysis. Moreover, this would help to explain the subtle peak variation found in some SERS studies. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.