Abstract
Paper-based platforms can be a promising choice as portable sensors due to their low-cost and facile fabrication, ease of use, high sensitivity, specificity and flexibility. By combining the qualities of these 3D platforms with the optical properties of gold nanoparticles, it is possible to create efficient nanodevices with desired biosensing functionalities. In this work, we propose a new plasmonic paper-based dual localized surface plasmon resonance–surface-enhanced Raman scattering (LSPR-SERS) nanoplatform with improved detection abilities in terms of high sensitivity, uniformity and reproducibility. Specifically, colloidal gold nanorods (GNRs) with a well-controlled plasmonic response were firstly synthesized and validated as efficient dual LSPR-SERS nanosensors in solution using the p-aminothiophenol (p-ATP) analyte. GNRs were then efficiently immobilized onto the paper via the immersion approach, thus obtaining plasmonic nanoplatforms with a modulated LSPR response. The successful deposition of the nanoparticles onto the cellulose fibers was confirmed by LSPR measurements, which demonstrate the preserved plasmonic response after immobilization, as well as by dark-field microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations, which confirm their uniform distribution. Finally, a limit of detection for p-ATP as low as 10−12 M has been achieved by our developed SERS-based paper nanoplatform, proving that our optimized plasmonic paper-based biosensing design could be further considered as an excellent candidate for miniaturized biomedical applications.
Highlights
Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the development of portable biosensors which can be employed for rapid and inexpensive clinical analysis as diagnostics tools capable of disease screening, since an early diagnosis can change the evolution of the illness [1].the diagnostic procedures are complex, long and costly and the absence of properly equipped clinics is the biggest obstacle for the direct implementation of biosensors
gold nanorods (GNRs) can absorb light from the visible to the near-IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum by chancing their aspect ratio, an important property that we should profit from to control and significantly improve surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement, especially by integrating them onto inexpensive paper substrates to provide a high degree of uniformity and reproductivity of the engineered large area plasmonic paper nanoplatform
We introduce a cheap, easy to fabricate, accurate, efficient dual localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-SERS nanoplatform based on immobilized GNRs with different aspect ratios on cellulose fibers of conventional filter paper
Summary
There has been a significant increase in the development of portable biosensors which can be employed for rapid and inexpensive clinical analysis as diagnostics tools capable of disease screening, since an early diagnosis can change the evolution of the illness [1]. GNRs can absorb light from the visible to the near-IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum by chancing their aspect ratio, an important property that we should profit from to control and significantly improve SERS enhancement, especially by integrating them onto inexpensive paper substrates to provide a high degree of uniformity and reproductivity of the engineered large area plasmonic paper nanoplatform. The feasibility of the as-designed flexible paper-based plasmonic nanoplatforms to operate as both dual LSPR and SERS nanosensors was proved by combining the detection with the identification of p-ATP target analyte on the same nanoplatform Their enhancement capabilities were evaluated by adding p-ATP analyte solutions with concentrations ranging from 10−4 to 10−12 M onto the paper.
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