2014, Singh, Pushkar, Deckert-Gaudig, Tanja, Schneidewind, Henrik, Kirsch, Konstantin, van Schrojenstein Lantman, Evelien M., Weckhuysen, Bert M., Deckert, Volker

Vibrational spectroscopy usually provides structural information averaged over many molecules. We report a larger peak position variation and reproducibly smaller FWHM of TERS spectra compared to SERS spectra indicating that the number of molecules excited in a TERS experiment is extremely low. Thus, orientational averaging effects are suppressed and micro ensembles are investigated. This is shown for a thiophenol molecule adsorbed on Au nanoplates and nanoparticles.