Surface-enhanced optical-mid-infrared photothermal microscopy using shortened colloidal silver nanowires: a noble approach for mid-infrared surface sensing.

We propose surface-enhanced optical-mid-infrared photothermal (MIP) microscopy using highly crystalline silver nanowires, acting as a Fabry-Perot resonator, and demonstrate its applicability to enhanced mid-infrared surface sensing of thin polymer layers as thin as 20 nm.