Multiplex optical sensing with surface-enhanced Raman scattering: A critical review

Multiplex analysis permits the detection of several analytical targets at the same time. This approach may permit to draw a rapid and accurate diagnostic about the health of an individual or an environment. Among the analytical techniques with potential for multiplexing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offer unique advantages such as ultrasensitive detection down low the deconvolution times, a unique signature containing all the vibrational information of the target molecules, and the possibility of performing the experiments even in very demanding environments such as natural or biological fluids. Here we review the late advances in multiplex SERS including the direct methods, those aided by the surface functionalization of the plasmonic nanoparticles and the use of SERS encoded particles.

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► Multiplex SERS may be applied directly, but it is restricted due to the complexity of real samples.
► The SERS spectrum of a given probe is equivalent to a barcode of that chemical entity.
► The number of SERS codes is practically unlimited.
► Bioimaging with encoded SERS particles is one of the most promising approaches.
► SERS bioimaging has enabled the ratiometric quantification of cancerous vs. non-cancerous cells.