Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Biological Materials

TODOROVIC, SMILJA; MURGIDA D.H.

Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry

John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Año: 2016; p. 1 - 29

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a very powerful vibrational spectroscopy method that can be applied to a variety of biological samples provided that drawbacks such as poor reproducibility of the signal and biocompatibility of the substrates can be satisfactorily overcome. SERS is characterized by very low limits of detection, mainly due to the electromagnetic enhancement of the Raman signals, capable of achieving the single molecule level. Moreover, the spectra of small molecules represent authentic molecular fingerprints with very narrow linewidths that, along with the additional enhancement and inter- / intra-molecular selectivity gained through resonant laser excitation (SERRS), make this technique particularly suited for multiplexing applications in complex biological samples. Here we introduce first the physical principles of SER(R)RS and describe the different types of substrates, as well as the basic modern instrumentation. We then provide an overview of recent biological applications, including biophysical mechanistic and structural studies on isolated biomolecules, their direct and indirect detection, chemical imaging of biological samples and biomedical applications. Finally we briefly discuss our outlook for the future research in this field.