biostudies-literatureVoylov DNU.S. Department of EnergyOffice of ScienceOak Ridge National Laboratory3392-3399https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9419720biostudies-literatureUnknown1(9)Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) has been established as one the most efficient analytical techniques for probing vibrational states with nanoscale resolution. While TERS may be a source of unique information about chemical structure and interactions, it has a limited use for materials with rough or sticky surfaces. Development of the TERS approach utilizing a non-contact scanning probe microscopy mode can significantly extend the number of applications. Here we demonstrate a proof of the concept and feasibility of a non-contact TERS approach and test it on various materials. Our experiments show that non-contact TERS can provide 10 nm spatial resolution and a Raman signal enhancement factor of 10⁵, making it very promising for chemical imaging of materials with high aspecNanoscale advancesNoncontact tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for nanomaterials and biomedical applications.PMC9419720DE-AC05-00OR22725SEED ProgramBasic Energy Sciences, Materials Science & EngineeVlassiouk INarayanan RShulga YMSumpter BGThiyagarajan TVolodin ALavrik NVSokolov APPolizos GKisliuk AMiller DDVoylov DNBocharova VfalseNoncontact tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for nanomaterials and biomedical applications.Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) has been established as one the most efficient analytical techniques for probing vibrational states with nanoscale resolution. While TERS may be a source of unique information about chemical structure and interactions, it has a limited use for materials with rough or sticky surfaces. Development of the TERS approach utilizing a non-contact scanning probe microscopy mode can significantly extend the number of applications. Here we demonstrate a proof of the concept and feasibility of a non-contact TERS approach and test it on various materials. Our experiments show that non-contact TERS can provide 10 nm spatial resolution and a Raman signal enhancement factor of 10⁵, making it very promising for chemical imaging of materials with high aspec2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Sep2025-04-18T15:47:32.452Z2025-02-19T01:38:29.338ZS-EPMC94197203613355610.1039/c9na00322c