Recent developments in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in the field of chemical, biochemical and clinical application– a critical review

Figures & data

Table 1. Different types of SERS with its application, applied field and mechanism.

Type of Surface Enhanced Spectroscopy	Application	Applied Field	Mechanism	Reference
Colloidal SERS	Chemical and biological sensing	Liquid phase	Electromagnetic enhancement by plasmonic nanoparticles in colloidal suspension	[15]
Substrate-based SERS	Trace analysis, biosensing, environmental monitoring	Solid phase	Electromagnetic enhancement by plasmonic substrates (e.g. metal nanoparticles on surfaces)	[16]
Tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS)	Nanoscale imaging and analysis	Near-field scanning microscopy (NSOM)	Electromagnetic enhancement at the sharp metal tip scanning sample surface	[17]
Shell-isolated SERS	Biochemical analysis, medical diagnostics	Liquid phase	Electromagnetic enhancement with core-shell nanoparticles	[18]
Electrochemical SERS	Electrochemical interfaces, sensing	Electrochemical cell	Synergy between chemical enhancement at electrode surfaces and electromagnetic enhancement	[19]
Nano-gap SERS	Single-molecule detection, plasmonics	Sub-nanometer gaps	Enhanced electromagnetic fields in the nano-gap regions between metal nanoparticles	[20]
Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence (SEF)	Biological imaging and detection	Liquid phase	Enhanced fluorescence emission from fluorophores placed near plasmonic nanoparticles	[21]
Surface-Enhanced Hyper-Raman (SEHRS)	Vibrational modes beyond Raman selection rules	Solid phase	Hyper-Raman scattering combined with plasmonic enhancement	[22]
Nanoporous SERS	Gas and vapor sensing	Gas phase	Plasmonic enhancement in nanoporous materials for gas molecule interactions	[23]
Graphene-enhanced SERS	Chemical and biological sensing	Solid phase	Electromagnetic enhancement by graphene plasmons	[24]
Surface-Enhanced Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (SECARS)	Vibrational imaging, biomedical applications	Solid and liquid phase	Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering with plasmonic enhancement	[25]
Bimetallic SERS	Trace analysis, catalysis	Solid phase	Synergy between two different metal nanoparticles for enhanced Raman signals	[26]
DNA-based SERS	Genetic analysis, bioassays	Liquid phase	DNA-assembled nanoparticle clusters for signal enhancement	[27]
Hotspot-engineered SERS	Sensing, single-molecule detection	Solid and liquid phase	Precisely controlled hotspots on nanostructured substrates for maximum enhancement	[28]
Self-assembled monolayers SERS (SAM-SERS)	Chemical and biological sensing	Solid phase	Plasmonic enhancement at self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on metal surfaces	[29]
SERS in microfluidic systems	Lab-on-a-chip applications, analytical chemistry	Liquid phase	Integration of SERS with microfluidic channels for enhanced analysis	[30]

Table 2. Various application of SERS along with its mechanism and advantage.

Application Types	Application Field	Mechanism	Advantage	Reference
Trace Analysis	Environmental Monitoring	Electromagnetic Enhancement	Sensitivity to detect trace amounts of pollutants	[32]
Food Safety Monitoring	Agriculture/Food Industry	Plasmonic Enhancement	Rapid and sensitive detection of food contaminants	[33]
Biomedical Diagnostics	Medicine/Healthcare	Chemical Enhancement	Early detection of diseases through molecular fingerprinting	[34]
Explosive Detection	Security/Defense	Charge Transfer Mechanism	High sensitivity to identify trace amounts of explosive materials	[35]
Catalysis Studies	Chemical Research	Hotspot-Induced Enhancement	Studying reaction mechanisms on catalytic surfaces	[36]
Forensic Analysis	Law Enforcement	Surface-Induced Enhancement	Identifying trace evidence from crime scenes	[37]
Nanomaterial Characterization	Nanotechnology	Surface Plasmon Resonance	Understanding the properties of nanoparticles	[38]
Drug Delivery Monitoring	Pharmaceutical Research	Adsorption-Enhanced Enhancement	Monitoring drug release from nanocarriers in real-time	[34]
Environmental Sensing	Air/Water Quality Monitoring	Chemical Adsorption	Detecting pollutants in the environment with high specificity	[39]
Art Conservation	Museums/Archaeology	Substrate-Induced Enhancement	Non-destructive analysis of artworks for preservation purposes	[40]
Nanotoxicology	Environmental Health	Nanoparticle-Induced Enhancement	Assessing the potential toxicity of nanoparticles on living organisms	[38]
Counterfeit Detection	Anti-Counterfeiting	Molecular Fingerprinting	Distinguishing genuine products from counterfeit ones	[41]
Disease Biomarker Identification	Medical Research	SERS-Tagging Technique	Identifying specific biomarkers associated with diseases	[42]
Environmental Remediation	Pollution Control	Surface-Enhanced Photocatalysis	Degradation of pollutants using enhanced photocatalytic processes	[39]
Quality Control in Manufacturing	Industrial Production	SERS Imaging	Non-destructive assessment of product quality during the manufacturing process	[43]
Microbial Identification	Microbiology	SERS-Active Nanoprobes	Rapid and accurate identification of microbial species	[44]
Drug Metabolism Studies	Pharmaceutical Development	Intracellular SERS	Studying drug metabolism within living cells	[34]
Fuel Analysis	Energy Sector	SERS Substrate Arrays	Characterising fuel components for improved efficiency	[45]
Soil Nutrient Analysis	Agriculture/Environmental Sciences	In Situ SERS	Assessing soil nutrients and health in real-time	[46]
Water Contaminant Monitoring	Water Treatment	SERS-Based Sensors	Continuous monitoring of water quality for contaminants	[47]

Figure 1. Application of surface enhanced raman spectroscopy in different fields.

Figure 2. Types of surface enhanced raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Figure 3. Detection methods for different types of pesticides by SERS.

Table 3. Detection methods for various types of pesticides by SERS.

Type of Pesticide	Pesticide	Detection Methods	Materials for Detection	References
Organophosphates	Malathion	SERS-active substrates	Silver nanoparticles	[57]
Organophosphates	Chlorpyrifos	Nanosphere-based SERS	Gold nanoparticles	[58]
Organophosphates	Parathion	SERS with silver nanorods	Graphene-based SERS substrates	[59]
Organophosphates	Diazinon	SERS with nanowire substrates	Silver-coated nanostructures	[60]
Organophosphates	Dichlorvos	SERS using metal island films	Silver nanoparticles	[61]
Organophosphates	Methamidophos	SERS-active nanostructured materials	Platinum-coated nanoparticles	[62]
Pyrethroids	Permethrin	SERS coupled with chemometrics	Palladium-decorated nanostructures	[63]
Pyrethroids	Cypermethrin	SERS with surface-modified nanoparticles	Silver nanocubes	[64]
Pyrethroids	Deltamethrin	SERS using bimetallic nanostructures	Gold-coated silver nanoparticles	[65]
Pyrethroids	Fenvalerate	SERS with plasmonic nanomaterials	Gold nanostars	[66]
Carbamates	Carbaryl	SERS-based immunoassay	Silver-coated nanowires	[67]
Carbamates	Methomyl	SERS in combination with magnetic nanoparticles	Magnetic core-shell nanostructures	[68]
Carbamates	Aldicarb	SERS using silicon-based substrates	Silicon nanowires	[69]
Carbamates	Carbofuran	SERS with metal organic frameworks (MOFs)	MOF-coated metal nanoparticles	[68]
Neonicotinoids	Imidacloprid	SERS with carbon-based nanomaterials	Carbon nanotubes	[70]
Neonicotinoids	Clothianidin	SERS using hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials	Gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles	[71]
Neonicotinoids	Thiamethoxam	SERS coupled with microfluidic devices	Silver-coated nanospheres	[69]
Neonicotinoids	Acetamiprid	SERS with functionalised metal nanoparticles	Functionalised silver nanoparticles	[69]
Triazines	Atrazine	SERS with metal oxide nanostructures	Titanium dioxide nanotubes	[72]
Triazines	Simazine	SERS with semiconductor nanomaterials	Zinc oxide nanoparticles	[73]
Triazines	Prometryn	SERS combined with nanoimprinting	Polymer-based nanostructures	[70]
Triazines	Terbuthylazine	SERS with plasmonic-enhanced substrates	Gold-coated silicon nanoparticles	[71]
Organochlorines	DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)	SERS with metal-dielectric nanostructures	Silica-coated gold nanoparticles	[71]
Organochlorines	Lindane	SERS using hollow metal nanocubes	Hollow gold nanocubes	[71]
Organochlorines	Aldrin	SERS with self-assembled monolayers	Silver-coated silica nanospheres	[69]
Organochlorines	Dieldrin	SERS with metal nanoparticle clusters	Gold nanoclusters	[71]

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