Noble Metal Nanoparticles as SERS Tags

The use of noble metal nanoparticles for the synthesis of SERS tags is described. Initially, the chapter briefly explores the fundamental aspects of SERS, including the definition of enhancement factor and hot spot. Then, a detailed description of the nanoparticles used as substrates is provided, with guidelines on the choice of their morphological and optical properties as guided by the prospective applications. After describing the concept of Raman reporter, surface coating and targeting moiety, the chapter delves into the topics of multiplexing and multimodal tags, which are recent developments of significant relevance in the biomedical field. Finally, a brief overview of the most recent in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo imaging application is given. The chapter concludes by a summary of the topics presented and offers a reflection on the future of the field.