Bioanalytical applications of SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy)

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful technique for analyzing biological samples as it can rapidly and nondestructively provide chemical and, in some cases, structural information about molecules in aqueous environments. In the Raman scattering process, both visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of light can be used to induce polarization of Raman-active molecules, leading to inelastic light scattering that yields specific molecular vibrational information. The development of surface enhancement has enabled Raman scattering to be an effective tool for qualitative as well as quantitative measurements with high sensitivity and specificity. Recent advances have led to many novel applications of SERS for biological analyses, resulting in new insights for biochemistry and molecular biology, the detection of biological warfare agents, and medical diagnostics for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. This trend article highlights many of these recent investigations and provides a brief outlook in order to assess possible future directions of SERS as a bioanalytical tool.

Identification of Individual Exosome-Like Vesicles by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

“…[22][23][24] As it has single molecule sensitivity, SERS is increasingly applied for the characterization of biological samples. [25,26] In this respect, different types of SERS-substrates have been developed to obtain plasmon enhancement and record Raman spectra from (sub)cellular components down to the single biomolecule level. [27] These can be, but are not limited to, well defined nanostructured surfaces of gold [28] or silver [29] and (intracellular) aggregated Ag [30] or AuNP [31] .…”

miRNA Optical Detection

“…The phenomenon provides the basis for a powerful analytical technique offering both quantitative and qualitative molecular information about biomolecules. Low detection limits, narrow spectral bandwidths, the ability to quench fluorescence, and the capacity to be used with or without optical labels make SERS a good choice for biomolecules [16]. Widespread application of SERS-based sensors, however, has been limited due to an inherent lack of spectral detail, reproducibility [17], or a means of statistical analysis for quantitative analysis [18].…”

Scanning Near‐Field Optical Microscopy (SNOM)

“…Today, surface -enhanced Raman scattering ( SERS ) is in common use (for details, see Refs [19, 75 -79] ). As SNOM -SERS can achieve detection limits down to the single -molecule level [79 -82] , the scope of applications is considerable, ranging from classical chemical analysis [83] to biological [80,84,85] , and medical applications [86] . The main benefi ts of SERS and surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering ( SERRS ), which is an extended application of SERS [87] , are the low detection limit and wide range of applications.…”