Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Graphene-Based Nanomaterials

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) harnesses intense local fields at nanostructured interfaces to amplify inherently weak Raman signals, enabling molecular fingerprinting at trace concentrations. Graphene and its derivatives have emerged as versatile substrates and supports in SERS architectures, owing to their atomically thin two-dimensional structure, high surface area and tunable electronic properties. When combined with plasmonic metals such as silver or gold, graphene can modulate localised surface plasmon resonance and chemical enhancement pathways, yielding highly reproducible “hot spots” for signal amplification. Graphene’s exceptional mechanical strength and chemical stability further improve substrate durability under harsh conditions. Hybrid nanocomposites—ranging from graphene oxide decorated with metal nanoparticles to three-dimensional graphene foams—offer fine control over nanoparticle spacing, surface chemistry and optical coupling. These platforms underpin advances in label-free detection of biomolecules, environmental pollutants and live cells, with growing interest in point-of-care diagnostics, food safety and catalytic sensing. Ongoing challenges include large-area uniformity, long-term stability and scalable fabrication, but progress in material design and fabrication methods continues to broaden the practical impact of graphene-based SERS.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated monolayer graphene as a robust chemical shield for silver-based SERS substrates, maintaining high signal intensity in concentrated acid and at elevated temperatures without corrosion or signal degradation. Three-dimensional graphene foam decorated with silver nanoparticles has been shown to achieve SERS enhancement factors four orders of magnitude greater than planar substrates, with nanoparticle size tuning enabling detection of model dyes from the nanomolar to micromolar range. A hybrid platform incorporating reduced graphene oxide sandwiched between silver and gold nanostructures has delivered over 70-fold local field enhancement, facilitating rapid, tag-free identification of tumour cells through intrinsic molecular vibrations. These advances underscore the versatility of graphene as both a protective layer and as an active component in tailoring plasmonic coupling for ultra-sensitive and stable SERS sensing.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Graphene-Based Nanomaterials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy with graphene-based nanomaterials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS): A spectroscopic technique that amplifies Raman scattering signals through enhanced electromagnetic fields and chemical interactions at nanostructured surfaces.

Graphene oxide (GO): A chemically modified form of graphene bearing oxygenated functional groups, which improves dispersibility and provides anchor points for nanoparticle attachment.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO): Graphene oxide that has undergone partial restoration of its conjugated carbon network, balancing conductivity and functional group density.

Localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR): Collective oscillation of conduction electrons in metal nanoparticles excited by incident light, generating intense near-field enhancement.

Hot spot: A nanoscale region of strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, often at junctions between metallic nanostructures, responsible for the majority of Raman signal amplification.

Electromagnetic enhancement: Amplification of Raman scattering arising from increased local field intensity due to plasmonic resonance at metal surfaces.

References

1. Gold Nanorod Density-Dependent Label-Free Bacteria Sensing on a Flake-like 3D Graphene-Based Device by SERS. Biosensors (2023).
2. Hybrid nanostructures of metal/two-dimensional nanomaterials for plasmon-enhanced applications. Chemical Society Reviews (2016).
3. Carbon-based SERS biosensor: from substrate design to sensing and bioapplication. NPG Asia Materials (2021).
4. In Situ Decoration of Gold Nanoparticles on Graphene Oxide via Nanosecond Laser Ablation for Remarkable Chemical Sensing and Catalysis. Nanomaterials (2019).
5. Chemical Stability of Graphene Coated Silver Substrates for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering. Scientific Reports (2017).
6. Highly-Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)-based Chemical Sensor using 3D Graphene Foam Decorated with Silver Nanoparticles as SERS substrate. Scientific Reports (2016).
7. A hybrid system with highly enhanced graphene SERS for rapid and tag-free tumor cells detection. Scientific Reports (2016).