Supramolecular Stabilization of Single-Molecule SERS: Cucurbit[7]uril Encapsulation of Thionine.

ABSTRACT: Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in plasmonic nanocavities enables single-molecule detection through dramatic enhancement of the local electromagnetic field. However, single-molecule SERS (SM-SERS) signals exhibit pronounced fluctuations in both absolute and relative band intensities, as well as abrupt signal dropouts, which complicate reliable analyte detection and identification. A key contributor to this temporal variability is the translational and rotational mobility of molecules within the plasmonic cavity. In this work, we investigated how confining thionine (Th) molecules within the macrocycle cucurbit[7]-uril (CB[7]) suppresses molecular motion and improves spectroscopic stability. We employed two high-field-enhancement geometries  nanoparticle-on-mirror and spherical g

SUBMITTER: Pyrcz P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12856645 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature