Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026
08:57
Scalable Syntheses of Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide using Cascade Design Oxidation and Highly Basic Reduction Reactions
Published on: July 3, 2025
2.1K
Graphene and Graphene Oxide Applications for SERS Sensing and Imaging
Anna Jabłońska1, Aleksandra Jaworska2, Mateusz Kasztelan2
1Chemical and Biological Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury str. 101, Warsaw, PL-02- 089, Poland.
Current Medicinal Chemistry
|October 6, 2018
Summary
Graphene and Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) significantly enhance Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for detecting biological species. These materials improve signal quality and enable tunable adsorption for advanced SERS assays and imaging.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Spectroscopy
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful ultrasensitive technique for detecting biological species, from small molecules to circulating tumor cells.
- Graphene's unique properties offer significant advantages for expanding SERS applications.
- Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) provides chemical flexibility for tailored molecular or cellular adsorption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) assays that utilize graphene or Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO).
- To highlight the improvements in SERS enhancement factors attributed to graphene and RGO.
- To discuss the structural and physical properties of graphene and RGO relevant to SERS applications.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of SERS assays employing graphene and RGO.
- Analysis of graphene's role as a fluorescence quencher and its contribution to the chemical enhancement mechanism in SERS.
- Examination of RGO's chemical flexibility for surface functionalization in SERS.
- Review of graphene oxide composites with SERS-active nanoparticles for cellular Raman imaging.
Main Results:
- Graphene acts as an efficient fluorescence quencher, enhancing the quality of Raman spectra.
- Graphene contributes to the SERS enhancement factor via chemical mechanisms.
- RGO enables tunable adsorption of molecules and cells onto SERS-active surfaces.
- Graphene-based SERS platforms demonstrate improved detection limits and signal enhancement for biological analytes.
Conclusions:
- Graphene and RGO are highly effective materials for advancing SERS technology.
- The integration of graphene and RGO into SERS assays significantly boosts sensitivity and analytical capabilities.
- These materials pave the way for more sophisticated SERS applications in biological detection and imaging.
Related Concept Videos
03:14Oxidation Numbers
42.8K
In redox reactions, the transfer of electrons occurs between reacting species. Electron transfer is described by a hypothetical number called the oxidation number (or oxidation state). It represents the effective charge of an atom or element, which is assigned using a set of rules.
42.8K
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
56.1K
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
56.1K
01:15Pyruvate Oxidation
169.0K
After glycolysis, the charged pyruvate molecules enter the mitochondria via active transport and undergo three enzymatic reactions. These reactions ensure that pyruvate can enter the next metabolic pathway so that energy stored in the pyruvate molecules can be harnessed by the cells.
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
169.0K
01:26Introduction to Special Senses
7.5K
Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive...
7.5K
03:11Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
75.7K
Oxidation–Reduction Reactions
75.7K
01:27Tactile and Chemical Senses
805
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.
805