Molecular Affinity Agents for Intrinsic Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Sensors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Synthetic materials, biochemistry, and analytical techniques are converging to create advanced sensing platforms.
• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique for sensitive detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review materials used as affinity agents in SERS sensors.
• To cover affinity agents facilitating intrinsic detection of targets in biology, medicine, national security, environmental protection, and food safety.

Main Methods:

• Overview of SERS technique and sensor applications.
• Description of four classes of affinity agents: antibody, aptamer, small molecule, and polymer.
• Review of SERS features and analytes detected by each affinity agent class.

Main Results:

• Detailed discussion on affinity, production, attachment chemistry, and SERS applications of each agent class.
• Analysis of SERS characteristics of affinity agents and their detected analytes.
• Identification of key considerations for selecting affinity agents for intrinsic SERS sensing.

Conclusions:

• Affinity agents are crucial for developing effective SERS sensors.
• The choice of affinity agent depends on the target analyte and application.
• Further research in affinity agent selection will advance intrinsic SERS sensing platforms.