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Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Author Spotlight: Single-Molecule Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Measurements Enabled by Plasmonic DNA Origami Nanoantennas
Published on: July 21, 2023
Plasmon-Induced Charge Transfer-Enhanced Raman Scattering on a Semiconductor: Toward Amplification-Free
Enduo Feng1, Tingting Zheng1, Xiaoxiao He2
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, 200241, Shanghai, China.
A novel copper oxide nanoarray achieves record sensitivity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). This breakthrough enables rapid, amplification-free viral quantification for point-of-care diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Semiconductors show promise as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for biological analysis due to selectivity.
- Low sensitivity remains a key limitation for semiconductor-based SERS, unlike noble metal substrates relying on electromagnetic enhancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a highly sensitive semiconductor-based SERS substrate.
- To investigate a novel mechanism for Raman enhancement in semiconductors.
- To create a SERS chip for rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Main Methods:
- Self-assembly of a novel Cu2O nanoarray with high free carrier density.
- Characterization of the nanoarray's SERS performance and enhancement factor (EF).
- Development of a SERS chip for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification using the Cu2O nanoarray.
Main Results:
- Achieved a record EF of 3.19×10^10 for a semiconductor substrate.
- Identified plasmon-induced hot electron transfer (PIHET) as the primary enhancement mechanism.
- Demonstrated a detection limit of 60 copies/mL for SARS-CoV-2 RNA within 5 minutes, without enzymes or amplification.
Conclusions:
- The Cu2O nanoarray exhibits significant Raman enhancement via PIHET, surpassing previous semiconductor-based SERS.
- The developed SERS chip offers a rapid, sensitive, and selective method for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection.
- This technology holds potential for point-of-care testing of viral variants.
