In 1997, Kneipp et al. and Nie and Emory independently reported the first examples of single-molecule detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). These seminal works sparked a surge of interest in SERS, while introducing a new question: how can it be conclusively proven that just one molecule is being probed?
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Acknowledgements
G.Q.W. acknowledges support from the Leverhulme Trust, RPG-2020-400.
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Wallace, G.Q., Graham, D. Pushing the limits. Nat Rev Chem 6, 842–843 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-022-00444-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-022-00444-z