Direct, label-free detection of unmodified DNA is a great challenge for DNA analyses. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising tool for DNA analyses by providing intrinsic chemical information with a high sensitivity. To address the irreproducibility in SERS analysis that hampers reliable DNA detection, we used iodide-modified Ag nanoparticles to obtain highly reproducible SERS signals of single- and double-strand DNA in aqueous solutions close to physiological conditions. The phosphate backbone signal was used as an internal standard to calibrate the absolute signal of each base for a more reliable determination of the DNA structure, which has not been achieved before. Clear identification of DNA with single-base sensitivity and the observation of a hybridization event have been demonstrated.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has attracted tremendous interests as a highly sensitive label-free tool. The local field produced by the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) dominates the overall enhancement of SERS. Such an electromagnetic enhancement is unfortunately accompanied by a strong modification in the relative intensity of the original Raman spectra, which highly distorts spectral features providing chemical information. Here we propose a robust method to retrieve the fingerprint of intrinsic chemical information from the SERS spectra. The method is established based on the finding that the SERS background originates from the LSPR-modulated photoluminescence, which contains the local field information shared also by SERS. We validate this concept of retrieval of intrinsic fingerprint information in well controlled single metallic nanoantennas of varying aspect ratios. We further demonstrate its unambiguity and generality in more complicated systems of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and SERS of silver nanoaggregates.

Deduced from thermodynamics and the Thomson-Gibbs equation that the surface energy of crystal face is in proportion to the supersaturation of crystal growth units during the crystal growth, we propose that the exposed crystal faces can be simply tuned by controlling the supersaturation, and higher supersaturation will result in the formation of crystallites with higher surface-energy faces. We have successfully applied it for the growth of ionic (NaCl), molecular (TBPe), and metallic (Au, Pd) micro/nanocrystals with high-surface-energy faces. The above proposed strategy can be rationally designed to synthesize micro/nanocrystals with specific crystal faces and functionality toward specific applications.