Recent Developments in SERS Microfluidic Chips: From Fundamentals to Biosensing Applications

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity and selectivity for biosensing.
• Challenges in SERS include signal stability and reproducibility due to environmental factors.
• Microfluidic chips provide efficient sample handling and on-chip detection capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the latest research progress of SERS microfluidic chips in biosensing.
• To discuss the integration of SERS with microfluidics for enhanced biosensing performance.
• To explore SERS microfluidic applications for various biological targets.

Main Methods:

• Introduction to SERS enhancement mechanisms and SERS strategies (labeled and label-free).
• Categorization of SERS microfluidic chips (colloidal nanoparticle-based and fixed substrate-based).
• Review of recent advancements in detecting nucleic acids, proteins, small biomolecules, and live cells.

Main Results:

• SERS microfluidic chips combine the advantages of SERS and microfluidics for improved biosensing.
• Demonstrated applications in detecting diverse biological targets with high sensitivity and selectivity.
• Identified key challenges and proposed solutions for enhancing stability and reproducibility.

Conclusions:

• SERS microfluidic chips represent a promising technology for advanced biosensing applications.
• Addressing current challenges will further unlock the potential of this combined technology.
• Future development outlook focuses on optimizing performance and expanding application scope.