Work

Hybrid SERS Platforms for Enhanced Biochemical Sensing

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique for label-free, ultrasensitive biochemical detection, offering broad potential for biomedical, environmental monitoring, and defense applications. However, conventional noble-metal SERS substrates remain limited by chemical instability, insufficient enhancement reproducibility, and slow analyte detection in dilute aqueous solutions. Recently, hybrid SERS platforms that integrate plasmonic nanostructures with functional material systems—such as semiconductors, two-dimensional materials, photonic crystals, and active robotic modules—have emerged as promising strategies to overcome these limitations. In this review, we examine recent advances in hybrid SERS platforms from the perspective of material systems. Their working principles can be broadly categorized into two types: functional materials that regulate interfacial electromagnetic and chemical enhancement, and robotized systems that promote targeted analyte access or active enrichment at sensing hotspots. By linking material properties, working mechanisms, and sensing performance, this review provides a materials-based perspective to guide the rational design of high-performance, application-oriented SERS platforms.

Source: Materials and Interfaces

DOI: 10.53941/mi.2026.100018

Authors: Jiazheng Bao, Bin Lian, Hyungmok Joh, Alan Xiaolong Wang, Donglei Emma Fan

Institutions: Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Baylor University

Language: English

Topic: Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W7204439663

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