First-Principles Calculations for Glycine Adsorption Dynamics and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Diamond Surfaces

Based on first-principles calculations, the stability of three adsorption configurations of glycine on the (100) surface of diamonds was studied, leading to an investigation into the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect of the diamond substrate. The results showed that the carboxyl-terminated adsorption configuration (CAR) was the most stable and shortest interface distance compared to other configurations. This stability was primarily attributed to the formation of strong polar covalent bonds between the carboxyl O atoms and the surface C atoms of the (100) surface of diamonds. These results were further corroborated by first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. Within the temperature range of 300 to 500 K, the glycine molecules in the carboxyl-terminated adjacent-dimer phenyl-like (CAR) configuration exhibited only simple thermal vibrations with varying amplitudes. In contrast, the metastable ATO and carboxyl-terminated trans-dimer phenyl-like ring (CTR) configurations were observed to gradually transform into benzene-ring-like structures akin to the CAR configuration. After adsorption, the intensity of glycine's characteristic peaks increased substantially, accompanied by a blue shift phenomenon. Notably, the characteristic peaks related to the carboxyl and amino groups exhibited the highest enhancement amplitude, exceeding 200 times, with an average enhancement amplitude exceeding 50 times. The diamond substrate, with its excellent adsorption properties and strong surface Raman spectroscopy characteristics, represents a highly promising candidate in the field of biomedicine.