Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for the characterization of atmospheric aerosols: Current status and challenges

The adverse impact of atmospheric aerosols on both the environment and human health has become a major concern in recent years. The detailed characterization of atmospheric aerosols is crucial to understanding their formation and their sources of origin, which then allows to take effective measures to control air pollution. However, the precise characterization of atmospheric aerosols is still a challenge, mainly due to the low concentration of the constituents that make up the chemical composition of aerosols. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique for the identification and characterization of biological and chemical species. SERS combines the advantage of single-molecule sensitivity with being a non-destructive technique and is therefore promising for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols. In recent years, our group, as well as other research groups, have been actively developing SERS technique for the characterization of atmospheric aerosols. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the recent progress in SERS and its application in the characterization of atmospheric aerosols. We first discuss the principle of SERS, after which we give an overview of the preparation of SERS substrates and the characterization of atmospheric aerosol with SERS. Finally, we present the challenges and future perspectives in this area.