REVIEW 3 major objections 6 minor 29 references
Nano-Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of Nanoprotuberances in MoSe2
T0 review · 3 major / 6 minor · reviewed 2026-08-07 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read The paper shows that a reduction in the A1g/E2g intensity ratio of monolayer MoSe2 in tip-enhanced Raman maps is a reliable nano-Raman signature of nanoscale contamination, and that contaminant-related peaks reveal oxidation and…
desk verdict A useful empirical observation—A1g/E2g suppression over MoSe2 nanoprotuberances—but the data are consistent with a topographic loss of near-field enhancement, so the 'contamination signature' claim needs a distance-dependence control before it can be called chemical. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The central object is the hyperspectral TERS intensity-ratio map of the $A_{1g}$ to $E_{2g}$ Raman modes of monolayer MoSe2 ($A_{1g}$ at 240 cm$^{-1}$, $E_{2g}$ at 287 cm$^{-1}$). The maps are built from nano-Raman hyperspectra recorded with 15.6 nm steps using AFM-based TERS with plasmon-tunable tip pyramids, then processed by principal component analysis and Lorentzian curve fitting. The ratio map itself is the figure of merit: it separates protuberance pixels from flat-area pixels in two independent sample regions, and it is complemented by amplitude maps of individual contaminant-related Raman peaks that show complementary spatial distributions.
What would settle it
Take the same TERS setup over clean MoSe2 on stepped hBN or lithographically defined mounds with the same 8–25 nm heights as the protuberances but no contamination; if the $A_{1g}/E_{2g}$ ratio falls over these clean raised features as strongly as over the nanoprotuberances, the proposed figure of merit tracks topography rather than contamination.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
On its own terms, the paper claims that the intensity ratio $I_{A_{1g}}/I_{E_{2g}}$ of monolayer MoSe2, measured by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, drops markedly over nanoprotuberances and therefore serves as a nano-Raman figure of merit for contamination. In the two near-field maps, the mean ratio on protuberances was 1.5 ± 0.4 and 1.7 ± 0.3, versus 2.8 ± 0.8 and 2.5 ± 0.5 in the surrounding flat regions, while a far-field average over the same area gave 1.47 ± 0.08 without spatial discrimination. The authors attribute the lower on-protuberance ratio to a weaker near-field enhancement of the $A_{1g}$ mode, related to loss of light coherence in the near field, and note that a slight increase in tip–sample separation over the raised features may also contribute. Complementary spectral peaks assigned to MoO3 and to carbon/organic species localize preferentially on or around the protuberances, supporting the interpretation that the protuberances are contamination with associated oxidation.
Load-bearing premise
The argument assumes the observed drop in the $A_{1g}/E_{2g}$ ratio over the bumps is caused by the contamination's effect on the near-field Raman signal, not simply by the tip being farther away on top of the raised features.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- TERS ratio maps can localize individual nanoprotuberances that conventional far-field Raman averages cannot resolve.
- The $A_{1g}/E_{2g}$ ratio can serve as a surface-quality metric when assembling MoSe2-based van der Waals heterostructures.
- The new contaminant-related peaks (MoO3 near 998 cm$^{-1}$, C=C near 1585 cm$^{-1}$, organic modes at 1168, 1226, and 1423 cm$^{-1}$) identify oxidation and carbon contamination within the protuberances.
- The ratio contrast appears consistently across two independent hyperspectral maps, indicating reproducibility of the signature.
- Far-field Raman measurements alone are insufficient to detect the contamination signature because they average over protuberance and surrounding regions.
Reading between the lines
- If the ratio suppression reflects contamination chemistry rather than the raised topography, the same figure of merit is likely to work for other monolayer TMDCs such as MoS2 and WS2, whose $A_{1g}/E_{2g}$ pairs respond similarly to near-field coherence.
- A control experiment on clean sample steps of comparable height would separate the tip–sample distance contribution from the chemical signature; the paper identifies this distance effect as a possible alternative explanation.
- The complementary spatial behavior of lower-frequency vs higher-frequency Lorentzian components on and around protuberances suggests local charge doping or strain gradients, which could be tested with nanoscale photoluminescence mapping.
Signed reviews
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper reports tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) hyperspectral maps of monolayer MoSe2 on hBN, correlating nanoscale protuberances (50–200 nm diameter, 8–25 nm height) with local changes in the A1g/E2g Raman intensity ratio and with new Raman peaks attributed to contamination and oxidation. The authors propose the A1g/E2g ratio reduction over protuberances as a figure of merit for surface contamination. The central evidence is two TERS maps (HS1, HS2) in which the mean ratio is roughly 1.5–1.7 on protuberances versus 2.5–2.8 on surrounding flat areas, while a far-field map of the same region gives 1.47 ± 0.08. Additional spectral peaks (e.g., 974, 998, 1168, 1226, 1423, and 1585 cm−1) are assigned to MoO3 and carbonaceous species, and AFM phase contrast is used to support the contamination interpretation.
Significance. If the ratio reduction truly tracks contamination chemistry, the paper would offer a practical nano-Raman fingerprint for detecting contamination in 2D heterostructures. The main strengths are that the ratio contrast is reproduced in two independent TERS maps, the authors explicitly compare near-field and far-field behavior, and the chemical-peak observations, while tentative, are a valuable starting point for identifying trapped contaminants. The paper is also honest in listing tip–sample separation as a contributing factor. However, the proposed figure of merit is not yet established, because the observed contrast is quantitatively consistent with a topographic artifact from reduced near-field enhancement when the tip rides over the bumps, and the paper does not provide a distance-dependence calibration to separate that effect from a contamination-specific chemical response.
major comments (3)
- [Results, TERS figure of merit; Table 1] The mean ratios over nanoprotuberances (1.5 ± 0.4 in HS1 and 1.7 ± 0.3 in HS2) are statistically indistinguishable from the far-field ratio (1.47 ± 0.08) reported for the same region. This means the data are fully consistent with a loss of near-field enhancement when the tip rides over 8–25 nm high features, rather than with a contamination-specific effect on the A1g mode. The authors mention tip–sample separation as "another contributing factor" but do not quantify it. Because TERS enhancement decays on a nanometer length scale, a tip-approach curve on flat MoSe2 (or an equivalent distance-dependence model) is required to separate the topographic contribution from any material-specific contribution. Without such a calibration, the ratio contrast is a topography marker, not a material signature of contamination.
- [Results, Table 1] No pixel counts or numbers of spectra are given for the inside/outside protuberance classes, and no statistical test is reported. Given the large standard deviations (e.g., 2.8 ± 0.8 for HS1 surroundings), the separation between the two populations needs to be quantified. Please report the number of spectra in each class and the distribution (e.g., histograms or box plots), and provide a significance test (e.g., Welch's t-test or Mann-Whitney U). This is necessary to support the claim that the ratio reliably distinguishes the regions.
- [Conclusions] The conclusion that a reduced A1g/E2g ratio "serves as a reliable nano-Raman signature of contamination in monolayer MoSe2 samples" is stronger than what the data support. The measured contrast is a correlation with protuberance topography; the attribution to contamination rests on the auxiliary spectral peaks and on AFM phase contrast, not on the ratio itself. Either add a calibration experiment that rules out the topographic mechanism, or rephrase the claim so that the ratio is presented as a nano-topography marker that accompanies contamination-related spectral signatures rather than as a standalone contamination signature.
minor comments (6)
- [Results, Chemical analysis] The assignments of the 974 cm−1 and 998 cm−1 peaks to MoO3-related modes are plausible, but they are not confirmed by complementary techniques such as XPS or EDS; the text uses "likely" and "may indicate," which is appropriate, but the limitations should be restated in the Conclusions.
- [Methods] The PCA preprocessing is described only briefly; please state how many principal components were retained and discuss whether the five-component reconstruction could distort the amplitudes of weak Lorentzian peaks used for the intensity maps.
- [Figures 2 and 3] The phase maps and ratio maps lack explicit axis scales and quantified color-bar units; adding scale bars, axis ticks, and unambiguous color-bar labels would improve reproducibility and readability.
- [Results] There are several typographical errors with missing spaces, for example "correspondingrespectivelytoregions" and "The resultsreinforce that theintensity ratiois lower"; the manuscript needs a careful proofreading pass.
- [Results, Chemical analysis] The sentence about Figure 6, "The map shown in Figure 6 was acquired at the edge of the MoSe2 flake, which accounts for the presence of the observed peak in regions that would otherwise be expected to be flat," is awkward and should be clarified regarding which regions are inside versus outside the protuberance mask.
- [References] Reference 21 is a general textbook; citing a specific TERS tip-sample distance-dependence study would strengthen the discussion of the topographic factor and help the reader assess its magnitude.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity; the A1g/E2g figure of merit is an empirical correlation, and the explanatory self-citations are independently grounded theory, not fitted to this dataset.
full rationale
The paper is an experimental characterization study; it does not derive a theoretical prediction from a fitted model. The central claim is an empirical correlation between AFM-identified nanoprotuberances and the TERS A1g/E2g intensity ratio, supported by topographic/phase maps and by independently identified chemical peaks (MoO3, C-C/C=C, CH2). The only place where prior theory is invoked is the explanation of why the A1g mode is less enhanced over protuberances: 'the loss of light coherence in the near-field, as discussed in references 11,19,20.' References 19 (Cancado et al., Phys. Rev. X 2014) and 20 (Nadas et al., 2025) are the authors' own theoretical/application papers, but they are parameter-free near-field coherence treatments whose assumptions do not include the present MoSe2 ratios, and they are not fitted to the HS1/HS2/HS3 data. Per the review rules, independently published theory cited for interpretation is real evidence and does not constitute circularity. The authors also explicitly list the tip-sample distance increase as 'another contributing factor' with a textbook citation (ref 21), which is a confound acknowledgment rather than a circular step. No equation in the paper reduces by construction to an input, and no fitted parameter is renamed as a prediction. Hence no circularity is found.
Assumptions & free parameters
assumptions (4)
- domain assumption The 240 and 287 cm-1 Raman peaks are the A1g and E2g modes of monolayer MoSe2.
- domain assumption Nanoprotuberances observed in AFM topography are contamination features (trapped water, hydrocarbons, oxide) rather than intrinsic structural folds.
- domain assumption The near-field coherence model from refs 11,19,20 explains why the A1g mode is enhanced less over protuberances.
- domain assumption The 998 cm-1 peak indicates MoO3 and the 974 cm-1 peak is a shifted/doped Mo-O mode.
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of Nano-Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of Nanoprotuberances in MoSe2." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/J3WIDI7P
@misc{pith2026250519224,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: Nano-Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of Nanoprotuberances in MoSe2},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/J3WIDI7P}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2505.19224}
}
abstract
Contaminations in the formation of two-dimensional heterostructures can hinder or generate desired properties. Recent advancements have highlighted the potential of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) for studying materials in the 2D semiconductor class. In this work, we investigate the influence of 50-200nm sized nanoprotuberances within a monolayer of MoSe$_2$ deposited on hBN using nano-Raman spectroscopy, establishing correlations between the presence of localized contaminations and the observed hyperspectral variations. A figure of merit is established for the identification of surface impurities, based on MoSe$_2$ peaks ratio. Notably, new spectral peaks were identified, which are associated with the presence of nanoprotuberances and may indicate contamination and oxidation.
Figures
Figures from the paper (4 more)
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
H.; Kalantar-Zadeh, K.; Kis, A.; Coleman, J
Wang, Q. H.; Kalantar-Zadeh, K.; Kis, A.; Coleman, J. N.; Strano, M. S. Electronics and optoelectronics of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides. Nature Nanotechnology 2012, 7, 699--712
work page 2012
-
[2]
Strain-modulated excitonic gaps in mono-and bi-layer MoSe2
Ji, J.; Zhang, A.; Xia, T.; Gao, P.; Jie, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, Q. Strain-modulated excitonic gaps in mono-and bi-layer MoSe2. Chinese Physics B 2016, 25, 077802
work page 2016
-
[3]
J.; Gholinia, A.; Jalil, R.; Romani, S.; Britnell, L.; Elias, D
Haigh, S. J.; Gholinia, A.; Jalil, R.; Romani, S.; Britnell, L.; Elias, D. C.; Novoselov, K. S.; Ponomarenko, L. A.; Geim, A. K.; Gorbachev, R. Cross-sectional imaging of individual layers and buried interfaces of graphene-based heterostructures and superlattices. Nature Materials 2012, 11, 764--767
work page 2012
-
[4]
Universal shape and pressure inside bubbles appearing in van der Waals heterostructures
Khestanova, E.; Guinea, F.; Fumagalli, L.; Geim, A.; Grigorieva, I. Universal shape and pressure inside bubbles appearing in van der Waals heterostructures. Nature Communications 2016, 7, 12587
work page 2016
-
[5]
Attard, P.; Moody, M. P.; Tyrrell, J. W. Nanobubbles: the big picture. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications 2002, 314, 696--705
work page 2002
-
[6]
Surface nanobubbles and nanodroplets
Lohse, D.; Zhang, X. Surface nanobubbles and nanodroplets. Reviews of modern physics 2015, 87, 981--1035
work page 2015
-
[7]
Stockle, R. M.; Suh, Y. D.; Suh, Y. D.; Deckert, V.; Zenobi, R. Nanoscale chemical analysis by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Chemical Physics Letters 2000, 318, 131--136
work page 2000
-
[8]
Metallized tip amplification of near-field Raman scattering
Hayazawa, N.; Inouye, Y.; Sekkat, Z.; Kawata, S. Metallized tip amplification of near-field Raman scattering. Optics Communications 2000, 183, 333--336
work page 2000
Show all 29 references
-
[9]
Anderson, M. S. Locally enhanced Raman spectroscopy with an atomic force microscope. Applied Physics Letters 2000, 76, 3130--3132
2000
-
[10]
Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: principles and applications
Kumar, N.; Mignuzzi, S.; Su, W.; Roy, D. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: principles and applications. EPJ Techniques and Instrumentation 2015, 2, 1--22
2015
-
[11]
G.; Rabelo, C.; Gadelha, A
Jorio, A.; Nadas, R.; Pereira, A. G.; Rabelo, C.; Gadelha, A. C.; Vasconcelos, T. L.; Zhang, W.; Miyata, Y.; Saito, R.; Costa, M. D.; others 2D Materials. 2D Materials 2024, 11, 033003
2024
-
[12]
o ppener, C.; Aizpurua, J.; Chen, H.; Gr \
H \"o ppener, C.; Aizpurua, J.; Chen, H.; Gr \"a fe, S.; Jorio, A.; Kupfer, S.; Zhang, Z.; Deckert, V. Tip-enhanced Raman scattering. Nature Reviews Methods Primers 2024, 4, 47
2024
-
[13]
L.; Archanjo, B
Vasconcelos, T. L.; Archanjo, B. S.; Archanjo, B. S.; Oliveira, B. S.; Valaski, R.; Cordeiro, R. C.; Medeiros, H. G.; Rabelo, C.; Ribeiro, A. R.; Ribeiro, A. R.; Ercius, P.; Achete, C. A.; Jorio, A.; Cançado, L. G. Plasmon-Tunable Tip Pyramids: Monopole Nanoantennas for Near-F...
2018
-
[14]
W.; Cantley, L.; Wadehra, A.; Kim, B
Lloyd, D.; Liu, X.; Christopher, J. W.; Cantley, L.; Wadehra, A.; Kim, B. L.; Goldberg, B. B.; Swan, A. K.; Bunch, J. S. Band gap engineering with ultralarge biaxial strains in suspended monolayer MoS2. Nano letters 2016, 16, 5836--5841
2016
-
[15]
P.; Krayev, A.; Venkatesh, V.; Saxena, R.; Kysar, J
Darlington, T. P.; Krayev, A.; Venkatesh, V.; Saxena, R.; Kysar, J. W.; Borys, N. J.; Jariwala, D.; Schuck, P. J. Facile and quantitative estimation of strain in nanobubbles with arbitrary symmetry in 2D semiconductors verified using hyperspectral nano-optical imaging. The Jou...
2020
-
[16]
Phase contrast in tapping-mode scanning force microscopy
Garcia, R.; Tamayo, J.; Calleja, M.; Garcia, F. Phase contrast in tapping-mode scanning force microscopy. Applied Physics A 1998, 66, S309--S312
1998
-
[17]
Attractive and repulsive tip-sample interaction regimes in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy
Garcia, R.; San Paulo, A. Attractive and repulsive tip-sample interaction regimes in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. Physical Review B 1999, 60, 4961
1999
-
[18]
S.; Kim, S
Phani, A.; Jung, H. S.; Kim, S. Deconvolution of dissipative pathways for the interpretation of tapping-mode atomic force microscopy from phase-contrast. Communications Physics 2021, 4, 72
2021
-
[19]
G.; Beams, R.; Jorio, A.; Novotny, L
Can c c ado, L. G.; Beams, R.; Jorio, A.; Novotny, L. Theory of Spatial Coherence in Near-Field Raman Scattering. Phys. Rev. X 2014, 4, 031054
2014
-
[20]
G.; Jorio, A
Nadas, R.; Correa, R.; Can c ado, L. G.; Jorio, A. Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Coherence Length of 2D Materials: An Application to Graphene. physica status solidi (b) 2025, 262, 2400287
2025
-
[21]
Principles of Nano-Optics, 2nd ed.; Cambridge University Press, 2012
Novotny, L.; Hecht, B. Principles of Nano-Optics, 2nd ed.; Cambridge University Press, 2012
2012
-
[22]
G.; Ravikumar, R.; Kumar, T
Krishna, A. G.; Ravikumar, R.; Kumar, T. V.; Ephraim, S. D.; Ranjith, B.; Pranoy, M.; Dola, S. Investigation and comparison of optical and raman bands of mechanically synthesised MoO3 nano powders. Materials Today: Proceedings 2016, 3, 54--63
2016
-
[23]
K.; Padil, V
Kothaplamoottil Sivan, S.; Padinjareveetil, A. K.; Padil, V. V.; Pilankatta, R.; George, B.; Senan, C.; C ern \' k, M.; Varma, R. S. Greener assembling of MoO 3 nanoparticles supported on gum arabic: Cytotoxic effects and catalytic efficacy towards reduction of p-nitrophenol. ...
2019
-
[24]
S.; Saito, R.; Dresselhaus, G
Jorio, A.; Dresselhaus, M. S.; Saito, R.; Dresselhaus, G. Raman Spectroscopy in Graphene Related Systems; Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, Germany, 2011
2011
-
[25]
Scientific Reports 2022, 12, 10936
Masubuchi, S.; Sakano, M.; Tanaka, Y.; Wakafuji, Y.; Yamamoto, T.; Okazaki, S.; Watanabe, K.; Taniguchi, T.; Li, J.; Ejima, H.; others Dry pick-and-flip assembly of van der Waals heterostructures for microfocus angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Scientific Reports 2022...
2022
-
[26]
E.; Nakanishi, Y.; others High-throughput dry transfer and excitonic properties of twisted bilayers based on CVD-grown transition metal dichalcogenides
Naito, H.; Makino, Y.; Zhang, W.; Ogawa, T.; Endo, T.; Sannomiya, T.; Kaneda, M.; Hashimoto, K.; Lim, H. E.; Nakanishi, Y.; others High-throughput dry transfer and excitonic properties of twisted bilayers based on CVD-grown transition metal dichalcogenides. Nanoscale Advances ...
2023
-
[27]
L.; Cançado, L
Rabelo, C.; Miranda, H.; Vasconcelos, T. L.; Cançado, L. G.; Jorio, A. Tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Graphene. 2019 4th International Symposium on Instrumentation Systems, Circuits and Transducers (INSCIT). 2019; pp 1--6
2019
-
[28]
L.; Archanjo, B
Vasconcelos, T. L.; Archanjo, B. S.; Fragneaud, B.; Oliveira, B. S.; Riikonen, J.; Li, C.; Ribeiro, D. S.; Rabelo, C.; Rodrigues, W. N.; Jorio, A.; others Tuning localized surface plasmon resonance in scanning near-field optical microscopy probes. ACS nano 2015, 9, 6297--6304
2015
-
[29]
L.; Cançado, L
Miranda, H.; Rabelo, C.; Vasconcelos, T. L.; Cançado, L. G.; Jorio, A. Optical Properties of Plasmon-Tunable Tip Pyramids for Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Physica Status Solidi-rapid Research Letters 2020, 14, 2000212 mcitethebibliography document
2020
Reviewed August 7, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.