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To overcome these limitations, we develop a semiconductor-based SERS platform utilizing ultrathin tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanofilms synthesized via a facile annealing process on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). This system achieves an impressive Raman enhancement factor of 1.36 \u00d7 106, enabling ultrasensitive detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G) and methylene blue (MB) at ultralow concentrations, surpassing conventional metal-based SERS platforms. It is further suggested that this is a substrate that can be easily coupled to other metals. An application for the detection of adenine molecules is realized through layered WO3-Au NPs composites, where embedded gold nanoparticles act as plasma \u201chot spots\u201d to amplify the sensitivity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and band structure analysis confirm that synergistic interface charge transfer and naturally formed oxygen vacancies enhance performance. By combining semiconductor compatibility with other metal amplification, this WO3-based SERS platform offers a sustainable and high-performance alternative to conventional substrates, paving the way for environmentally friendly and scalable Raman sensing technologies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nano15181393","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]],"date-time":"2025-09-10T14:14:55Z","timestamp":1757513695000},"page":"1393","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Semiconducting Tungsten Trioxide Thin Films for High-Performance SERS Biosensors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hao","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liping","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bicheng","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Advanced Materials Laboratory, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haizeng","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1350-3577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chee Leong","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2574-3479","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shancheng","family":"Yan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/0009-2614(74)85388-1","article-title":"Raman spectra of pyridine adsorbed at a silver electrode","volume":"26","author":"Fleischmann","year":"1974","journal-title":"Chem. 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