Fabrication method of colloidal dispersions and substrates for detection of pesticide, veterinary drug, and biomolecule using surfaced-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a review

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has gained increasing attention for sensing chemicals and molecules at low concentrations. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) that occur on metal nanostructures can be used to enhance small Raman signals while maintaining the non-destructivity of Raman spectroscopy. SERS can be used to detect consumer chemical products that effect on the human body through the ecosystem. In addition, there is increasing demand for its use in personal disease-monitoring systems. SERS materials can be made in various forms using metal nanoparticles (NPs) that can produce LSPs. Recently, nanotechnology has been used to fabricate SERS materials with high selectivity for target materials by finely controlling the structure. Since the structure affects the enhancement of Raman signals, research into various nanostructures is important for next-generation SERS sensors. Herein, we first discuss various fabrication of SERS dispersions and substrates using plasmonic metal NPs. Afterward, we summarize the enhancement factor (EF) and limit of detection (LOD) values of SERS materials prepared via various fabrication methods.