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    Spatial resolution of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy – DFT assessment of the chemical effect
    (Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2016) Latorre, Federico; Kupfer, Stephan; Bocklitz, Thomas; Kinzel, Daniel; Trautmann, Steffen; Gräfe, Stefanie; Deckert, Volker
    Experimental evidence of extremely high spatial resolution of tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) has been recently demonstrated. Here, we present a full quantum chemical description (at the density functional level of theory) of the non-resonant chemical effects on the Raman spectrum of an adenine molecule mapped by a tip, modeled as a single silver atom or a small silver cluster. We show pronounced changes in the Raman pattern and its intensities depending on the conformation of the nanoparticle–substrate system, concluding that the spatial resolution of the chemical contribution of TERS can be in the sub-nm range.
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    In situ spectroelectrochemical and theoretical study on the oxidation of a 4H-imidazole-ruthenium dye adsorbed on nanocrystalline TiO2 thin film electrodes
    (Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2015) Zhang, Ying; Kupfer, Stephan; Zedler, Linda; Schindler, Julian; Bocklitz, Thomas; Guthmuller, Julien; Rau, Sven; Dietzek, Benjamin
    Terpyridine 4H-imidazole-ruthenium(II) complexes are considered promising candidates for use as sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by displaying broad absorption in the visible range, where the dominant absorption features are due to metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. The ruthenium(III) intermediates resulting from photoinduced MLCT transitions are essential intermediates in the photoredox-cycle of the DSSC. However, their photophysics is much less studied compared to the ruthenium(II) parent systems. To this end, the structural alterations accompanying one-electron oxidation of the RuIm dye series (including a non-carboxylic RuIm precursor, and, carboxylic RuImCOO in solution and anchored to a nanocrystalline TiO2 film) are investigated via in situ experimental and theoretical UV-Vis absorption and resonance Raman (RR) spectroelectrochemistry. The excellent agreement between the experimental and the TDDFT spectra derived in this work allows for an in-depth assignment of UV-Vis and RR spectral features of the dyes. A concordant pronounced wavelength dependence with respect to the charge transfer character has been observed for the model system RuIm, and both RuImCOO in solution and attached on the TiO2 surface. Excitation at long wavelengths leads to the population of ligand-to-metal charge transfer states, i.e. photoreduction of the central ruthenium(III) ion, while high-energy excitation features an intra-ligand charge transfer state localized on the 4H-imidazole moiety. Therefore, these 4H-imidazole ruthenium complexes investigated here are potential multi-photoelectron donors. One electron is donated from MLCT states, and additionally, the 4H-imidazole ligand reveals electron-donating character with a significant contribution to the excited states of the ruthenium(III) complexes upon blue-light irradiation.