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A highly robust surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for in vivo sensing applications is reported. In vivo sensing demands structurally robust substrates with good optical performance. SERS substrates containing gold nanostructures on SiO2 supports often suffer from a low adhesion strength of gold on SiO2. The proposed SERS substrate contains a mercaptosilane adhesive layer, which provides a high robustness without deteriorating the plasmon performance, in contrast to traditional titanium adhesive layers. The mercaptosilane-modified SERS substrate is sufficiently robust for in vivo sensing, as evidenced by its implantation in the animal skin for 2 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]