Nanospectroscopy

Prof. Volker Deckert holds a joint position at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, where he heads the Nanoscopy Department.

His research focuses on optical spectroscopy at nanometre and sub-nanometre length scales. A central method is tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS), which combines scanning-probe microscopy with plasmonically enhanced Raman spectroscopy to obtain label-free molecular and structural information far below the optical diffraction limit and, in suitable systems, down to the single-molecule level.

Research Areas

Prof. Deckert's research focuses on the development and application of optical near-field spectroscopy for molecular analysis with nanometre and sub-nanometre spatial resolution. Research interests include:

• Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) and optical near-field spectroscopy
• Plasmonic field enhancement and light confinement at the nanoscale
• Fundamental limits of spatial resolution in vibrational spectroscopy
• Label-free molecular spectroscopy down to the single-molecule level
• Correlative nanospectroscopy and scanning-probe microscopy
• Nanoscale structural analysis of proteins, viruses and other biomolecular systems
• Chemical and structural characterization of polymers and functional nanomaterials
• Nonlinear Raman spectroscopy at the nanoscale

Teaching Fields

Prof. Deckert is involved in the teaching of general physical chemistry and advanced characterization tools.

Research Methods

The group combines optical spectroscopy with scanning-probe techniques for label-free chemical and structural analysis at the nanoscale. Methods include:

• Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) microscopy
• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)
• Atomic force and other scanning-probe microscopy techniques
• Photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM)
• Correlative Raman and nanomechanical imaging
• Plasmon-enhanced optical spectroscopy
• Time-resolved and nonlinear optical spectroscopy
• Tip-enhanced stimulated Raman spectroscopy
• Preparation and characterization of plasmonic nanoscale probes

Recent Research Results

Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) combines the chemical specificity of vibrational spectroscopy with the spatial resolution of scanning-probe microscopy. Recent work has consolidated TERS as a versatile nanospectroscopic method capable of resolving molecular composition and structure at nanometre and, under suitable conditions, sub-nanometre length scales. A comprehensive methodological overview published in 2024 summarizes current understanding of plasmonic enhancement, spatial resolution, reproducibility and applications ranging from biomolecules to two-dimensional materials [1].

A major research direction is the combination of TERS with complementary scanning-probe techniques. Correlative measurements allow chemical composition to be directly related to local mechanical and morphological properties. This approach has been used to investigate the nanoscale internal structure of block-copolymer micelles, revealing spatial variations in crosslinking efficiency and chemical composition within individual nanostructures [2].

TERS is also being developed for label-free characterization of biological structures below the diffraction limit. Correlative morphological and nanospectroscopic approaches enable the investigation and discrimination of individual virus particles and other biomolecular structures based on their molecular composition [3].

Current method development extends near-field Raman spectroscopy towards nonlinear excitation schemes. Tip-enhanced stimulated Raman approaches are being developed to increase sensitivity while maintaining nanometre-scale spatial resolution, opening new possibilities for the investigation of two-dimensional materials and small biological structures [4].

[1] Höppener et al., Nat. Rev. Methods Primers 4, 47 (2024).
[2] Höppener et al., Small 19, 2206451 (2023).
[3] Deckert-Gaudig et al., J. Transl. Med. (2023).
[4] Wang et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 17, 27557 (2025).

Link to the Nanospectroscopy GroupExternal link