SERS Substrate Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Gold, Silver, and Other) By Application (Biology & Medicine, Chemical Industry, Food Industry, and Other), Regional Insights and Forecast From 2025 To 2034

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SERS SUBSTRATE MARKET OVERVIEW

Global SERS Substrate Market will stand at USD 0.015 billion during 2025, progress toward USD 0.016 billion in 2026, and is forecast to approach USD 0.03 billion by 2034, with an impressive CAGR of 8.5% noted over the years from 2025 through 2034.

The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy technique (SERS) provides fine molecular fingerprints that can be used to identify analytes directly down to the single molecule level. As a result of extensive theoretical and experimental research, combined with continuous advances in nanotechnology, SERS has become a hot research area in chemistry, physics, materials, biomedicine, etc. In spite of this, SERS has not yet been developed into a routine analytical technique, and continuous efforts have been made to address the problems preventing its use in the field. In order to evaluate the analytical performance of a SERS substrate, SERS enhancement factor (EF) must be determined, which is a ratio of the intensity of SERS contributed by each surface molecule to the intensity of Raman contributed by the free molecules.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) takes advantage of metallic nanostructures' ability to concentrate electromagnetic energy via optical modes known as surface plasmons (SPs). The first observation of SERS was made when the Raman signal from adsorbed pyridine on an electrochemically roughened silver electrode increased unexpectedly. The increased signal was initially attributed to a higher number of adsorbed molecules due to the increased surface area, but it was later discovered to be the result of anomalous surface enhancement. SERS is characterized by a massive increase in Raman intensity of several orders of magnitude, which is widely believed to be the result of electromagnetic and chemical mechanisms working together.

KEY FINDINGS

COVID-19 IMPACT

Use of SERS Substrate To Detect Virus Drives The Market Growth

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with the global SERS substrate market experiencing lower-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. The sudden surge in CAGR is attributable to demand returning to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over.

COVID-19 remains a global emergency and has been declared a public health emergency. While the global SERS substrate market experienced a slight halt during the pandemic due to lockdown, it also had a very positive impact due to the ability of SERS substrate to detect the virus. SERS is an analytical technique that can be used to detect viruses at treatment sites. The SERS technology is exciting because it provides a fingerprint for any material. Several COVID-19 virus subtypes have been tested with it, including Deltacron and Omicron. Flexible SERS substrates have recently attracted increased research interest in real-world applications, including medicine, due to their unique advantages of sensitivity and flexibility.

LATEST TRENDS

Gold Nanoparticles as SERS Substrate to Drive the Market Growth

Nanoparticles of gold have been used as effective substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). With increasing nanoparticle size, gold nanoparticles generate an increasing enhancement factor. When the enhancement factor was at its maximum, the optimal size of gold nanoparticles was discovered to be around 50 nm when the gold concentration or surface area of gold nanoparticles was kept constant.

• According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), over 35% of ongoing biomedical research projects are using advanced nanomaterials such as SERS substrates to improve molecular detection accuracy.

• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports that nearly 22% of new food safety testing technologies in Europe applied SERS-based methods in 2022 for faster contaminant detection.

As a biocompatible metal and one that exhibits strong excitation near the IR region of light, gold metal has piqued many people's interest as a biotechnological component.

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SERS SUBSTRATE MARKET SEGMENTATION

By Type

The market is classified into gold, silver, and other based on type. The gold segment will lead the global SERS substrate market share throughout the forecast period.

By Application

The market is classified into biology & medicine, chemical industry, food industry, and other on the basis of application. The biology & medicine segment will lead the global SERS substrate market share throughout the forecast period.

DRIVING FACTORS

Application of SERS in Food Safety Detection to Drive the Market Growth

Heavy metal accumulation and concentration in the human body, particularly harmful heavy metals, can result in acute and chronic poisoning. Food safety and quality have received a lot of attention recently, and the ability to evaluate food quality and safety in a sensitive, quick, and reliable manner is critical in the food industry. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has demonstrated a high potential for rapid detection of food samples due to its excellent sensitivity, high selectivity, non-destructive nature, and significant enhancement to identify the target. The enhancement of Raman signals for SERS is related not only to interactions between substrates and samples, but also to substrate functionalization to obtain SERS active substrates.

• As per the World Health Organization (WHO), foodborne illnesses affect over 600 million people globally every year, increasing the demand for sensitive SERS detection in food safety.

• The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) highlights that more than 40% of global diagnostic laboratories are adopting Raman-based technologies, with SERS substrates becoming a key enabler for rapid testing.

Application of SERS Substrate in Biomedical Field to Drive the Market Growth

Life science applications are increasingly using Raman scattering-based techniques since they can extract significant amounts of information directly (without the need to prepare samples) from complex environments such as biological fluids, living tissues, and cells (including non-invasive sample collection capabilities, minimal sample preparation, and high spatial resolution). By binding antibodies or other selective receptors to the nanostructured metal surface, specific and quantitative recognition can be achieved. As the foundation for early disease detection, this is crucial for biomedical applications.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

High Cost to Impede the Market Growth

SERS has been proven to be useful for both real-world chemical analysis and fundamental mechanistic studies. In spite of these benefits, SERS is still largely limited by its high cost, which is largely due to the use of expensive single-use Ag/Au enhancing substrates. Creating multifunctional SERS substrates that enhance Raman signals, as well as simplify analysis and/or allow them to be regenerated for use again and again, would be a viable approach to addressing this issue.

• According to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), nearly 28% of academic research groups face budget limitations in adopting SERS substrates due to high costs of Ag/Au materials.

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states that about 30% of SMEs in advanced economies lack technical expertise to deploy complex SERS solutions, slowing adoption in small-scale industries.

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SERS SUBSTRATE MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

North America To Dominate The Market Owing To Demand In Biological And Food Industries

Due to the high demand in biological industry, and food industry, North America dominates the global SERS substrate market. Another factor driving SERS substrate market growth in this region is the expansion of the gold and silver industries. Asia Pacific is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period due to increased demand and application by the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries. The increase in the number of market players in the region also accounts for the growth of market players.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Leading Players Adopt Acquisition Strategies to Stay Competitive

Several players in the market are using acquisition strategies to build their business portfolios and strengthen their market position. In addition, partnerships and collaborations are among the common strategies adopted by companies. Key market players are making R&D investments to bring advanced technologies and solutions to the global SERS substrate market.

• HORIBA (Japan): According to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), HORIBA supplies spectroscopic solutions to over 50 countries worldwide, with SERS substrates integrated into both biomedical and environmental testing applications.

• Ocean Insight (U.S.): As per the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ocean Insight operates in more than 30 global markets, offering portable Raman systems and SERS substrates widely used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

List of Top SERS Substrate Companies

• HORIBA (Japan)
• Ocean Insight (U.S.)
• Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan)
• Mesophotonics (U.K.)
• Silmeco (Europe)
• Ato ID (Europe)
• Metrohm Raman (Europe)
• Enhanced Spectrometry (U.S.)
• StellarNet (U.S.)

REPORT COVERAGE

In the report, factors affecting the market from both demand and supply are evaluated and market dynamics during the forecast period are also forecasted. Also included in the report is a comprehensive PEST analysis of countries, which assesses the governmental, financial, and shared factors influencing their markets. Apart from all of these, the report also provides drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trends.