Status and applications of femtosecond laser preparation of SERS substrates containing noble metals nanoparticles

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful non-invasive spectroscopic technique that can greatly enhance the Raman signals of molecules to be detected by a suitable SERS substrate. Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) and substrate micro-nanostructures on the substrate play crucial roles in SERS, influencing the enhancement effect and detection sensitivity. Femtosecond laser processing technology has been successfully applied to SERS substrate preparation and has achieved excellent results due to its advantages of high precision, high reproducibility, high efficiency, high controllability, low cost, environmental protection and safety. This study reviews recent research progress in the preparation of SERS substrates using femtosecond laser processing techniques. The focus is on femtosecond laser fabrication of noble metal nanoparticles and the preparation of micro- and nanostructures on metals, semiconductors, silica glass and flexible materials. The analytical applications of femtosecond laser processed substrates in environmental monitoring, biomedicine and explosives detection are presented. © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.