SERS Labels for Optical Anticounterfeiting: Structure, Fabrication, and Performance

Abstract

Developing new anticounterfeit technologies with good robustness, high safety index, strong readability, and low cost is highly demanded but challenging. In recent years, anticounterfeiting labels by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have drawn great attention due to the molecular encoding, highly accurate identification, large coding capacity, and so on. Focusing on several basic elements in SERS anticounterfeiting, the SERS anticounterfeiting labels’ structure, the fabrication strategies, and their performances are summarized and commented in detail based on three main categories of SERS labels (SERS spectra, SERS images, and SERS codes). Moreover, despite the great advances achieved till now, SERS labels for anticounterfeiting still suffer from some limitations. Thus, the current challenges and the perspective of the SERS labels in anticounterfeiting are also discussed, aiming to give a comprehensive understanding and some valid guidelines for the development of SERS labels in anticounterfeiting.