Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a half-century historical perspective

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has evolved significantly over fifty years into a powerful analytical technique. This review aims to achieve five main goals. (1) Providing a comprehensive history of SERS’s discovery, its experimental and theoretical foundations, its connections to advances in nanoscience and plasmonics, and highlighting collective contributions of key pioneers. (2) Classifying four pivotal phases from the view of innovative methodologies in the fifty-year progression: initial development (mid-1970s to mid-1980s), downturn (mid-1980s to mid-1990s), nano-driven transformation (mid-1990s to mid-2010s), and recent boom (mid-2010s onwards). (3) Illuminating the entire journey and framework of SERS and its family members such as tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) and highlighting the trajectory. (4) Emphasizing the importance of innovative methods to overcome developmental bottlenecks, thereby expanding the material, morphology, and molecule generalities to leverage SERS as a versatile technique for broad applications. (5) Extracting the invaluable spirit of groundbreaking discovery and perseverant innovations from the pioneers and trailblazers. These key inspirations include proactively embracing and leveraging emerging scientific technologies, fostering interdisciplinary cooperation to transform the impossible into reality, and persistently searching to break bottlenecks even during low-tide periods, as luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.