Abstract
Early medical diagnostic in nanomedicine requires the implementation of innovative nanosensors with highly sensitive, selective, and reliable biomarker detection abilities. In this paper, a dual Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance - Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (LSPR- SERS) immunosensor based on a flexible three-dimensional (3D) gold (Au) nanocups platform has been implemented for the first time to operate as a relevant “proof-of-concept” for the specific detection of antigen-antibody binding events, using the human IgG - anti-human IgG recognition interaction as a model. Specifically, polydimethylsilane (PDMS) elastomer mold coated with a thin Au film employed for pattern replication of hexagonally close-packed monolayer of polystyrene nanospheres configuration has been employed as plasmonic nanoplatform to convey both SERS and LSPR readout signals, exhibiting both well-defined LSPR response and enhanced 3D electromagnetic field. Synergistic LSPR and SERS sensing use the same reproducible and large-area plasmonic nanoplatform providing complimentary information not only on the presence of anti-human IgG (by LSPR) but also to identify its specific molecular signature by SERS. The development of such smart flexible healthcare nanosensor platforms holds promise for mass production, opening thereby the doors for the next generation of portable point-of-care devices.
Highlights
Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) or fluorescent devices[7,8,9]
Compared to a conventional SPR sensor that is based on the excitation of propagating surface plasmons, so-called surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), which are directly generated on a flat noble metallic thin surface (10–200 nm in thickness) using the Kretschmann-Raether prism geometry, LSPR -known as non-propagating surface plasmons- are generated on the surface of individual metallic nanoparticles of 10–200 nm in size[10]
The platforms were obtained by using monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres self-assembled into a hexagonally close-packed monolayer configuration as template for lithography and the soft lithography of the transparent polydimethylsilane (PDMS) elastomer employed as a mold for pattern replication
Summary
Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) or fluorescent devices[7,8,9]. Ordered plasmonic arrays can act as attractive and innovative types of plasmonic biosensors owing to their multiple advantages such as i) low-cost and large area fabrication with properly controlled sizes, which implies high surface area for the antibodies attachment, providing greater specificity and sensitivity, ii) better structural controllability and uniformity, iii) strong three-dimensional (3D) local field amplification; iv) easy integration with microfluidics for label-free real time biomarkers detection and so on[23,24] In this periodically ordered plasmonic arrays, localized and propagating SPR modes are intercoupled[25], the resulting resonance mode depends on the material composition used in the sensor and its geometrical parameters, like periodicity, size, shape in the array. There is a strong current scientific priority to efficiently implement both LSPR and SERS sensing onto the same reproducible and large area plasmonic nanoplatform in order to detect the presence of analytes/biomarkers (by LSPR) and to unambiguously identify even multiple target analytes/biomarkers (by SERS), being closer to a real molecular diagnostic application
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