Shell-Isolated Tip-Enhanced Raman and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can provide molecular fingerprint information with ultrahigh spatial resolution, but the tip will be easily contaminated, thus leading to artifacts. It also remains a great challenge to establish tip-enhanced fluorescence because of the quenching resulting from the proximity of the metal tip. Herein, we report shell-isolated tip-enhanced Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies by employing ultrathin shell-isolated tips fabricated by atomic layer deposition. Such shell-isolated tips not only show outstanding electromagnetic field enhancement in TERS but also exclude interference by contaminants, thus greatly promoting applications in solution. Tip-enhanced fluorescence has also been achieved using these shell-isolated tips, with enhancement factors of up to 1.7×10³ , consistent with theoretical simulations. Furthermore, tip-enhanced Raman and fluorescence signals are acquired simultaneously, and their relative intensities can be manipulated by changing the shell thickness. This work opens a new avenue for ultrahigh resolution surface analysis using plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies.