Distinguishing Hot-Electron and Optomechanical Pathways at Metal-Molecule Interfaces

Abstract: Energy and charge transfer between molecules and metal surfaces underpin heterogeneous catalysis, surface-enhanced spectroscopies and plasmon-driven chemistry, yet the microscopic origins of vibrational excitation at metal interfaces remain unresolved. Here we use temperature-dependent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to directly distinguish plasmon-vibration optomechanical coupling from hot-electron-driven excitation.By probing thionine adsorbed on gold nanostructures at 295 K and 3.5 K, we show that pronounced anti-Stokes scattering at cryogenic temperature arises from optical pumping of vibrational populations, whereas room-temperature spectra are governed by thermal population. Bromide co-adsorbates play a decisive role by guiding molecular alignment, inducing surface atom displacements, and enabling transient adsorption geometries that activate otherwise Raman-inactive vibrational modes. In the absence of bromide, distinct excitation pathways emerge, reflecting competition between optomechanical coupling and charge-transfer processes associated with molecular polarization along the optical field or orientation relative to the metal surface. These results establish molecular optomechanics as a sensitive probe of surface-molecule interactions and demonstrate how anion-mediated surface dynamics regulate energy flow at plasmonic interfaces.