Exploring the generality of ligands for Silica-Encapsulated nanoclusters as SERS labels

The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) reporters are rather limited, and the Raman peaks still overlap in varying degrees, making SERS multiplex coding a critical bottleneck in the exploration of SERS nanotechnology. Herein, we design a general strategy to expand the SERS probe scope to 26 probes of six types, which can be further expanded within a limited range, with stable performance and structure. By constructing (Au-aggregate)@Ag@silica and (Au-aggregate)@silica nanocomposites, we develop optimal enhancement strategies for each Raman molecules. Mixed signal-ligand SERS probes improve the complexity of Raman spectra and expand the coding capacity. By integrating the strategies, SERS inks are produced and applied in anti-counterfeiting. With these improvements, this work breaks the constrains of probe selection, bringing SERS one step closer to the sensor or anti-counterfeiting application.