Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering as an Emerging Characterization and Detection Technique

Abstract

While surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been attracting a continuously increasing interest of scientific community since its discovery, it has enjoyed a particularly rapid growth in the last decade. Most notable recent advances in SERS include novel technological approaches to SERS substrates and innovative applications of SERS in medicine and molecular biology. While a number of excellent reviews devoted to SERS appeared in the literature over the last two decades, we will focus this paper more specifically on several promising trends that have been highlighted less frequently. In particular, we will briefly overview strategies in designing and fabricating SERS substrates using deterministic patterning and then cover most recent biological applications of SERS.

SERS detection of expired tetracycline hydrochloride with an optical fiber nano-probe

“…The mechanisms for the enhancement in SERS are attributed largely to electromagnetic field enhancement due to localized surface plasmon resonance and also to chemical interactions of the analyte with the substrates. As a result of these enhancements, SERS can have the sensitivity sufficient for the detection of ultratrace levels of analytes down to single molecules [43,44]. According to the theory of evanescent wave, tapered fiber not only exposes the evanescent field to the surroundings, but also increases the evanescent field magnitude to excite the SERS light.…”

Sensitive SERS nanotags for use with 1550 nm (retina-safe) laser excitation

“…6 Furthermore, there is reduced autofluorescence, limited photobleaching and the IR region provides an uncongested spectral window for optical analysis due to the absorption and scattering of many molecules, in particular bio-molecules being at a minimum. [6][7][8][9] To exploit this, there is a great need to design SERS nanotags, which give reproducible response, can provide strong enhancements and, in particular, are optically active in the IR region. Following initial studies, 3,11 HGNs and 100 nm AuNPs were modified with dye 1 and their ability as 1550 nm SERS nanotags investigated.…”

Recent advances in plasmonic nanostructures for sensing: a review

“…6). 57,[77][78][79][80] Such multilayer geometries have been employed on silver island films 77 and MeFON surfaces, 57,78,79,83 demonstrating the versatility of this enhancement mechanism. In particular, by applying (10) Strobbia, Languirand, and Cullum: Recent advances in plasmonic nanostructures for sensing: a review (10) Strobbia, Languirand, and Cullum: Recent advances in plasmonic nanostructures for sensing: a review this multilayer geometry to MeFON substrates, it is possible to further enhance the original SERS signal of these substrates by over two orders of magnitude.…”