SERS in Transition: Integrating Nanomaterials, Multimodal Platforms, and AI Tools

Dear Colleagues,

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) has emerged as one of the most powerful vibrational spectroscopic techniques for ultrasensitive detection and molecular fingerprinting. Since its discovery, the field has grown tremendously, fueled by advances in nanomaterial synthesis, instrumentation, and data analysis. Today, SERS is no longer confined to fundamental studies but is increasingly integrated into analytical chemistry, biosensing, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics moving beyond fundamental studies toward integrated sensing platforms and translational applications.

This Special Issue offers a timely and authoritative opportunity to present recent advances in SERS sensing, with an emphasis on four areas of particular relevance.

• Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for SERS. This cornerstone of SERS remains central to the field. Advances in colloidal chemistry, nanofabrication, and surface engineering now allow precise control of structural parameters, leading to reproducible and tunable plasmonic substrates. Beyond conventional noble metals, hybrid and composite nanomaterials are increasingly explored for improved sensitivity, stability, and scalability.
• Bio-inspired nanomaterials. Biological systems provide versatile templates and functional motifs that can be translated into plasmonic platforms with unique recognition capabilities, biocompatibility, and structural precision. Such approaches not only broaden the palette of available SERS substrates but also open new avenues for label-free and selective biosensing in complex environments.
• Dual-sensing strategies. Combination of SERS with complementary analytical techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), optical methods, or electrochemical readouts results in  integrated platforms providing orthogonal information, enabling enhanced sensitivity, higher detection reliability, real-time monitoring, and a more comprehensive understanding of molecular interactions.
• Machine learning tools. The integration of these tools into SERS research is redefining how data are processed, interpreted, and correlated with nanomaterial design. Advanced algorithms facilitate the extraction of subtle spectral features, improve classification and prediction accuracy, and enable rational design of nanostructures for specific sensing tasks. The convergence of machine learning with nanomaterial-based SERS technologies is accelerating progress toward intelligent and automated sensing systems.

By highlighting these advances, this Special Issue aims to showcase the synergy between material innovation, interdisciplinary methodologies, and computational intelligence in shaping the next generation of SERS-based sensing technologies. Together, they underscore the increasing maturity of SERS as a versatile analytical platform with broad scientific and technological impact with far-reaching applications.

Dr. Gabriella Caminati
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.