Sensors for small molecules of biochemical interest based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: The challenges of preparing enhancing materials for real-world applications

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been advanced as a high sensitivity method for the detection, identification and quantification of small molecules of biological interest. In the case of SERS, selectivity can be introduced at the molecular level by chemical modification of the particles´ surfaces to increase binding of the target analyte. The focus falls on finding methods and developing strategies which will allow quantitative SERS measurements to be made. An important first step is preparation of enhancing media which reliably produce the same levels of enhancement but if the technique is to be used routinely it is also important that the media are sufficiently inexpensive that they can be discarded after a single use.