2026

Field-deployable full-range underwater pH sensor using a polyprotic SERS probe

Yan Chen, Zhiyang Zhang,* Yanzhou Wu, Jiadong Chen, Hai Liu, Shuoyang Yan, Yifan Sui, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, In Yee Phang,* Xin Zhang, Xing Yi Ling,* and Lingxin Chen*

Nat. Sens. 2026, in press 

This work introduces the first field-deployable fibre-optic SERS platform capable of accurate full-range (pH 0–14) underwater pH sensing, overcoming the long-standing limitations of conventional electrochemical and optical sensors.

2026

From hotspots to hotspaces: Cascaded photonic-plasmonic coupling for SERS-based deep profiling of whole small extracellular vesicles

Haoming Bao, Emily Xi Tan, Jie Zhou, Xiang Zhao, Sheng Yuan Leong, Chang Hoong Chek, Guo Kang Leon, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Nguyen Bang Thanh Lam, Ling Li, Han Wei Hou, Hongwen Zhang, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling*

Sci. Adv. 2026, 12, aec1846 

This work introduces a new “hotspace” engineering strategy for SERS by coupling photonic nanojets with plasmonic nanoarrays, generating spatially extended electromagnetic enhancement regions (>110 nm) with high sensitivity (>10⁶ enhancement factor). The platform enables deep, label-free profiling of intact extracellular vesicles and achieves highly accurate colorectal cancer classification (99.8%), outperforming conventional SERS substrates.

2026

Interfacial Chemistry in SERS: Mechanisms, Controls, and Materials

Emily Xi Tan, Cam Tu Tran, Gia Minh Kieu, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling*

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2026, 18, 12, 17239–17252 

This perspective reframes SERS as a chemically governed interfacial phenomenon, where molecular adsorption, geometry, and electronic coupling collectively determine signal strength and selectivity. By introducing a three-dimensional interfacial phase diagram and programmable material strategies, it enables rational control and predictive design of SERS platforms beyond traditional electromagnetic enhancement.

2026

Dynamic Electrochemical Reorientation at SERS Hotspots Enables Composition, Length, and Sequence Reading of DNA Oligonucleotides

Cam Tu Tran, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Emily Xi Tan, Peter Rainer Preiser, In Yee Phang, and Xing Yi Ling*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 12321–12332. (Special issue “Singapore: Excellence in Chemistry”)

This work introduces electrochemically modulated SERS that dynamically reorients DNA within plasmonic hotspots, overcoming surface-selection bias and enabling accurate decoding of oligonucleotide composition, length, and sequence.

2026

In situ photo-regenerative phenolic interface for continuous precious metal recovery

Xuemin Chen, Qi–Zhi Zhong*, Zeyu Qian, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Emily Xi Tan, Keteng Wang, Fan Song, Joseph J. Richardson, Yan Lv*, Xing Yi Ling*, Tianxi Liu* Nature Water 2026, 4, 360–368.

Our collaborative study reports a new in situ photo-regenerative phenolic interface that enables continuous and highly efficient light-driven recovery of precious metals from diverse sources, offering greatly enhanced capacity, longevity and sustainability compared with existing materials.

2025

SERS Cheminformatics: Opportunities for Data-Driven Discovery and Applications

Emily Xi Tan, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Yubin Jin, Yan Lv*, In Yee Phang*, Xing Yi Ling* ACS Central Science 2025, in press

This Outlook envisions uniting SERS with cheminformatics—leveraging databases, molecular modeling, machine learning, and AI—to overcome challenges in spectral analysis and drive data-driven chemical discovery.

2025

Chemistry-informed recommender system to predict optimal molecular receptors in SERS nanosensors

Emily Xi Tan, Yong Xiang Leong, Shan Huei Lim, Mike Wei Kuang Chng, In Yee Phang*, Xing Yi Ling* Nature Communications 2025, 16, 7095

We developed a chemistry-informed SERS receptor recommender system that predicts the best receptors for complex analytes with >95% accuracy—shifting SERS optimization from intuition to data-driven design.

Unlocking the Full Potential of SERS: Merging Direct and Indirect Approaches for Enhanced Analysis of Multiplex Plasticizer Analogs in Matrices Shan Huei Lim, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Emily Xi Tan, In Yee Phang, Untzizu Elejalde, Xing Yi Ling Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202507156

# Hot Paper by Angew. Chem.

This study demonstrates a hybrid SERS strategy that combines direct and indirect detection to achieve precise identification and quantification of harmful plasticizer analogs, paving the way for rapid, on-site contaminant monitoring across industries.

Transfer Learning-Assisted SERS: Predicting Molecular Identity and Concentration in Mixtures Using Pure Compound Spectra Emily Xi Tan, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Desmond Wei Cheng Pang, Nguan Soon Tan, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202504965

This Angewandte Chemie study presents a breakthrough strategy using transfer learning to identify and quantify molecular components in complex mixtures—without prior knowledge of their composition. Trained solely on pure compound spectra, the model achieves 100% identification accuracy and <3% quantitation error in binary to quaternary carnitine mixtures. This adaptive, data-efficient approach marks a major step forward in real-world SERS sensing and untargeted chemical analysis.

Regulating Interfacial Molecular Configuration to Drive Facet-Selective Zn Metal Deposition Yue Ouyang, Wei Zong, Xuan Gao, Shi Xuan Leong, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Yuhang Dai, Haobo Dong, In Yee Phang, Paul Shearing, Guanjie He, Yue-E Miao, Tianxi Liu, Xing Yi Ling Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202504965

# Hot Paper by Angew. Chem.

Machine Learning-Based SERS Chemical Space for Two-Way Prediction of Structures and Spectra of Untrained Molecules Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Emily Xi Tan, Jingxiang Tang, Shi Xuan Leong, Sean Kai Xun Hue, Chi Seng Pun, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147, 6654-6664.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Biomedical Applications: Recent Advances and Future Challenge Linley Li Lin, Ramon Alvarez-Puebla, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Matt Trau, Jing Wang, Laura Fabris, Xiang Wang, Guokun Liu, Shuping Xu, Xiao Xia Han, Liangbao Yang, Aiguo Shen, Shikuan Yang, Yikai Xu, Chunchun Li, Jinqing Huang, Shao-Chuang Liu, Jian-An Huang, Indrajit Srivastava, Ming Li, Limei Tian, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Xinyuan Bi, Dana Cialla-May, Pavel Matousek, Nicholas Stone, Randy P. Carney, Wei Ji, Wei Song, Zhou Chen, In Yee Phang, Malou Henriksen-Lacey, Haoran Chen, Zongyu Wu, Heng Guo, Hao Ma, Gennadii Ustinov, Siheng Luo, Sara Mosca, Benjamin Gardner, Yi-Tao Long, Juergen Popp, Bin Ren, Shuming Nie, Bing Zhao, Xing Yi Ling*, Jian Ye* ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2025, 17, 16287–16379.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a half-century historical perspective Jun Yi, En-Ming You, Ren Hu, De-Yin Wu, Guo-Kun Liu, Zhi-Lin Yang, Hua Zhang, Yu Gu, Yao-Hui Wang, Xiang Wang, Hao Ma, Yang Yang, Jun-Yang Liu, Feng Ru Fan, Chao Zhan, Jing-Hua Tian, Yu Qiao, Hailong Wang, Si-Heng Luo, Zhao-Dong Meng, Bing-Wei Mao, Jian-Feng Li, Bin Ren, Javier Aizpurua, Vartkess Ara Apkarian, Philip N Bartlett, Jeremy Baumberg, Steven EJ Bell, Alexandre G Brolo, Louis E Brus, Jaebum Choo, Li Cui, Volker Deckert, Katrin F Domke, Zhen-Chao Dong, Sai Duan, Karen Faulds, Renee Frontiera, Naomi Halas, Christy Haynes, Tamitake Itoh, Janina Kneipp, Katrin Kneipp, Eric C Le Ru, Zhi-Peng Li, Xing Yi Ling, Jacek Lipkowski, Luis M Liz-Marzán, Jwa-Min Nam, Shuming Nie, Peter Nordlander, Yukihiro Ozaki, Rajapandiyan Panneerselvam, Jürgen Popp, Andrea E Russell, Sebastian Schlücker, Yang Tian, Lianming Tong, Hongxing Xu, Yikai Xu, Liangbao Yang, Jianlin Yao, Jin Zhang, Yang Zhang, Yao Zhang, Bing Zhao, Renato Zenobi, George C Schatz, Duncan Graham, Zhong-Qun Tian Chemical Society Reviews, 2025, 54, 1453-1551.

2024

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Based Multimodal Techniques: Advances and Perspectives Emily Xi Tan，Qi-Zhi Zhong, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Yong Xiang Leong, Guo Kang Leon, Cam Tu Tran, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling ACS Nano 2024, 18, 32315-32334.

Impact of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy in Catalysis Andrei Stefancu, Javier Aizpurua, Ivano Alessandri, Ilko Bald, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Lucas V. Besteiro, Phillip Christopher, Miguel Correa-Duarte, Bart de Nijs, Angela Demetriadou, Renee R. Frontiera, Tomohiro Fukushima, Naomi J. Halas, Prashant K. Jain, Zee Hwan Kim, Dmitry Kurouski, Holger Lange, Jian-Feng Li, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Ivan T. Lucas, Alfred J. Meixner, Kei Murakoshi, Peter Nordlander, William J. Peveler, Raul Quesada-Cabrera, Emilie Ringe, George C. Schatz, Sebastian Schlücker, Zachary D. Schultz, Emily Xi Tan, Zhong-Qun Tian, Lingzhi Wang, Bert M. Weckhuysen, Wei Xie, Xing Yi Ling, Jinlong Zhang, Zhigang Zhao, Ru-Yu Zhou, and Emiliano Cortés* ACS Nano 2024,18, 29337-29379.

Plasmonic nanoparticle sensors: current progress, challenges, and future prospects Krishna Kant, Reshma Beeram, Lara González Cabaleiro, Yi Cao, Daniel Quesada-González, Heng Guo, Sergio Gomez-Grana, Younju Joung, Siddhant Kothadiya, Daniel García-Lojo, Marta Lafuente, Yong Xiang Leong, Yuxiong Liu, Yiyi Liu, Sree Satya Bharati Moram, Sanje Mahasivam, Sonia Maniappan, Divakar Raj, Paulo Santos, Xinyue Xia, Qian Yu, Jose Manuel Martins de Almeida, Rizia Bardhan, Vipul Bansal, Sara Abalde-Cela, Jaebum Choo, Luis Coelho, Marek Grzelczak, Pablo Hervés, Jorge Perez-Juste, Jatish Kumar, Theobald Lohmueller, Xing Yi Ling, Arben Merkoçi, Reyes Mallada, Pilar Pina, Ramon A Alvarez-Puebla, José Luis Montaño-Priede, Mengtao Sun, Srikanth Singamaneni, Venugopal Rao Soma, Limei Tian, Jianfang Wang, Lakshminarayana Polavarapu*, Isabel Pastoriza-Santos* Nanoscale Horizon 2024, 9, 2085-2166.

Harnessing Cooperative Multivalency in Thioguanine for SERS Differentiation of Polyfunctional Analytes Differing by Single Functional Group Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Emily Tan Xi, Shi Xuan Leong, Charlynn Koh Sher Lin, Murugan Madhumita, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024, 64, e202410815

Advancing Energy Systems with In-situ and Operando Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy Haoming Bao, Shi Xuan Leong, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Zhenhai Shi, Suli Chen, Yan Lv, Tianxi Liu, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling CCS Chemistry, 2024, 6, 1403-1421.

Forward-Predictive SERS-based Chemical Taxonomy for Untargeted Structural Elucidation of Epimeric Cerebrosides Emily Xi Tan，Shi Xuan Leong, Wei An Liew, In Yee Phang, Jie Ying Ng, Nguan Son Tan, Yie Hou Lee, Xing Yi Ling Nature Communications 2024, 15, 2582

Creating 3D Nanoparticle Structural Space via Data Augmentation to Bidirectionally Predict Nanoparticle Mixture’s Purity, Size, and Shape from Extinction Emily Xi Tan，Jingxiang Tang, Yong Xiang Leong, In Yee Phang, Yih Hong Lee, Chi Seng Pun, Xing Yi Ling Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. ​2024, 63, e202317978. # Hot Paper by Angew. Chem.

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2023 Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Based Surface Chemotaxonomy: Combining Bacteria Extracellular Matrices and Machine Learning for Rapid and Universal Species Identification Shi Xuan Leong, Emily Xi Tan, Xuemei Han, Irvan Luhung, Ngu War Aung, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Si Yan Tan, Haitao Li, In Yee Phang, Stephan Schuster, Xing Yi Ling ACS Nano ​2023, 17, 23132-23143.

Achieving Molecular Recognition of Structural Analogues in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy: Inducing Charge and Geometry Complementarity to Mimic Molecular Docking Shi Xuan Leong, Ya-Chuan Kao, Xuemei Han, Zhong Wei Poh, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Emily Xi Tan, Yong Xiang Leong, Yih Hong Lee, Wei Xuan Teo, George W. Yip, Yulin Lam, Xing Yi Ling Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. ​2023, 62, e202309610. # Very Important Paper by Angew. Chem.

2022 Where Nanosensors Meet Machine Learning: Prospects and Challenges in Detecting Disease X Yong Xiang Leong, Emily Xi Tan, Shi Xuan Leong, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Kelin Xia, Xing Yi Ling ACS Nano 2022, 15, 1817-1825. (Perspective article)

Inducing ring complexation for efficient capture and detection of small gaseous molecules using SERS for environmental surveillance Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Yong Xiang Leong, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Shi Xuan Leong, Siew Kheng Boong, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Gia Chuong Phan-Quang, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202207447. # Very Important Paper by Angew. Chem.

Incorporating plasmonic featurization with machine learning to achieve accurate and bidirectional prediction of nanoparticle size and size distribution Emily Xi Tan, Yichao Chen, Yih Hong Lee, Yong Xiang Leong, Shi Xuan Leong, Chelsea Violita Stanley, Chi Seng Pun, and Xing Yi Ling Nanoscale Horizons 2022,7,626-633.

Noninvasive and Point-of-Care Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)-Based Breathalyzer for Mass Screening of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) under 5 min Shi Xuan Leong, Yong Xiang Leong, Emily Xi Tan, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Yih Hong Lee, Carice Chong, Li Shiuan Ng, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Desmond Wei Cheng Pang, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Siew Kheng Boong, Xuemei Han, Ya-Chuan Kao, Yi Heng Chua, Gia Chuong Phan-Quang, In Yee Phang, Hiang Kwee Lee, Mohammad Yazid Abdad, Nguan Soon Tan, Xing Yi Ling ACS Nano 2022, 16, 2629-2639.

Air-stable plasmonic bubbles as a versatile three-dimensional surface-enhanced Raman scattering platform for bi-directional gas sensing Yong Xiang Leong, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Gia Chuong Phan-Quang, Emily Xi Tan, Zhao Cai Wong, Wee Liang Yew, Bao Ying Natalie Lim, Xuemei Han, Xing Yi Ling Chemical Communications 2022, 58, 6697-6700. ## This article is part of the themed collection: 2022 Pioneering Investigators

Emerging nanosensor platforms and machine learning strategies toward rapid, point-of-need small-molecule metabolite detection and monitoring Shi Xuan Leong, Yong Xiang Leong, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Emily Xi Tan, Lam Bang Thanh Nguyen, Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen, Carice Chong, Desmond Wei Cheng Pang, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Xiaochen Liang, Nguan Soon Tan, Xing Yi Ling Chemical Science 2022,13,11009-11029. (Perspective article)

2021 Plasmonic Nanoparticle-Metal–Organic Framework (NP–MOF) Nanohybrid Platforms for Emerging Plasmonic Applications Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Shi Xuan Leong, Siew Kheng Boong, Carice Chong, Xing Yi Ling ACS Materials Letters 2021, 3, 557-573.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Taster: A Machine-Learning-Driven Multireceptor Platform for Multiplex Profiling of Wine Flavors Yong Xiang Leong, Yih Hong Lee, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Gia Chuong Phan-Quang, Xuemei Han, In Yee Phang, Xing Yi Ling Nano Letter 2021, 21, 2642-2649.

Intensifying heat using MOF‐isolated graphene for solar‐driven seawater desalination at 98% solar‐to‐thermal efficiency Xuemei Han, Lucas V Besteiro, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Hiang Kwee Lee, In Yee Phang, Gia Chuong Phan‐Quang, Jing Yi Ng, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Chee Leng Lay, Alexander Govorov, Xing Yi Ling Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31, 2008904.

Enantiospecific Molecular Fingerprinting Using Potential-Modulated Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering to Achieve Label-Free Chiral Differentiation Shi Xuan Leong, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Howard Yi Fan Sim, Yih Hong Lee, Xuemei Han, Gia Chuong Phan-Quang, Xing Yi Ling ACS Nano 2021, 15, 1817-1825.

2020

Present and Future of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Judith Langer, Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi, Javier Aizpurua, Ramon A. Alvarez-Puebla, Baptiste Auguié, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Guillermo C. Bazan, Steven E. J. Bell, Anja Boisen, Alexandre G. Brolo, Jaebum Choo, Dana Cialla-May, Volker Deckert, Laura Fabris, Karen Faulds, F. Javier García de Abajo, Royston Goodacre, Duncan Graham, Amanda J. Haes, Christy L. Haynes, Christian Huck, Tamitake Itoh, Mikael Käll, Janina Kneipp, Nicholas A. Kotov, Hua Kuang, Eric C. Le Ru, Hiang Kwee Lee, Jian-Feng Li, Xing Yi Ling, Stefan Maier, Thomas Mayerhoefer, Martin Moskovits, Kei Murakoshi, Jwa-Min Nam, Shuming Nie, Yukihiro Ozaki, Isabel Pastoriza-Santos, Jorge Perez-Juste, Jürgen Popp, Annemarie Pucci, Stephanie Reich, Bin Ren, George C. Schatz, Timur Shegai, Sebastian Schlücker, Tay Li-Lin, K George Thomas, Zhong-Qun Tian, Richard P. Van Duyne, Tuan Vo-Dinh, Yue Wang, Katherine A. Willets, Chuanlai Xu, Honxing Xu, Yikai Xu, Yuko S. Yamamoto, Bing Zhao, Luis M. Liz-Marzán ACS Nano 2020, 14, 28-117. (Review article)