The SERS effect was initially discovered in the 1970s. Early research focused on understanding the phenomenon and increasing enhancement to achieve single molecule detection. From the mid-1980s to early 1990s, research started to move away from obtaining a fundamental understanding of the phenomenon to the exploration of analytical applications. At the same time, significant developments occurr...

A simple and efficient self-approach strategy was used to apply ultrasensitivity and self-revive ZnO-Ag hybrid surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors for the highly sensitive and selective detection of explosive TNT in both solution and vapour conditions. The good ultrasensitive sensing performance is a result of the abundant Raman hot spots, which were spontaneously formed in a rever...

A rapid Listeria detection method was developed utilizing A511 bacteriophage amplification combined with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and lateral flow immunochromatography (LFI). Anti-A511 antibodies were covalently linked to SERS nanoparticles and printed onto nitrocellulose membranes. Antibody-conjugated SERS nanoparticles were used as quantifiable reporters. In the presence of ...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has recently been investigated extensively for chemical and biomolecular sensing. Multilayer silver (Ag) nanofilms deposited on glass slides by a simple electroless deposition process have been fabricated as active substrates (Ag/GL substrates) for arsenate SERS sensing. The nanostructures and layer characteristics of the multilayer Ag films could be tun...

SERS detection of quinacridone quinone (QAQ), an insoluble synthetic organic pigment relevant to modern artworks, is reported here. The use of ionic liquids (BMIMCl and TBAN) as dispersing agents has allowed us to carry out electrochemical SERS experiments of QAQ in aqueous solution using a Cu electrode. No SERS spectra were obtained either from the ionic liquids (ILs) or from QAQ when silver/g...

In this work, we develop an in situ method to grow highly controllable, sensitive, three-dimensional (3D) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via an optothermal effect within microfluidic devices. Implementing this approach, we fabricate SERS substrates composed of Ag@ZnO structures at prescribed locations inside microfluidic channels, sites within which current fabrication of S...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been extensively investigated as an effective approach for trace species detection. Silver nanostructures are high-sensitivity SERS substrates in common use, but their poor chemical stability impedes practical applications. Herein, a stable and sensitive SERS substrate based on the hybrid structures of graphene/silver film/laser-textured Si (G/Ag/LTS...

Nucleic acids are of key biological importance due to their range of functions and ability to form various different structures, with an example of emerging significance being quadruplexes formed by guanine-rich sequences. These guanine rich sequences are found in different regions of the genome such as telomeres, gene promoters and introns and UTRs of mRNAs. Here a new approach has been develo...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is recognized as one of the most sensitive spectroscopic tools offering highly sensitive chemical and biological detection. The fact that particle plasmon allows direct coupling of light to resonant electron plasmon oscillation has spurred tremendous efforts in the design and fabrication of highly SERS-active substrates in nanostructured films and metall...

Covalent immobilization of redox-active dyes is an important strategy to evaluate structure-activity relationships in nanoscale electrochemistry by using optical readouts such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Here we investigate the role of the tether length in the SERS spectroelectrochemistry of surface-attached Nile Blue. Differential pulse voltammetry and a potential-dependent SE...