RESUMEN
Gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based colorimetric biosensors have been widely used for pH sensing and monitoring its changes. However, few AuNP-based pH sensors have been developed through the manipulation of the aggregation states of AuNPs via i-motif DNA. We herein report i-motif DNA-assisted pH-responsive gold nanoparticle assembly (termed RGA), which shows a reversible and highly sensitive response to pH variation between 6.20 and 7.40. The acidic pH triggers the disassembly of the RGA, thus converting the AuNPs from aggregation state to disperse state, which leads to a color transition from blue-purple to red. Therefore, the pH value can be estimated by naked-eye determination or UV-vis spectroscopy analysis. More significantly, the visually detectable color change is monitored using the built-in camera of a smartphone. The RGB (red, green, blue) values of the RGA solution are measured by a smartphone application (APP). Following data processing, the RGB values can be converted into pH value, providing a new strategy for the on-site and real-time pH sensing. Furthermore, the pH-induced conformation change of i-motif DNA allows the RGA to detect a slight pH fluctuation in the catalytic oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase and the hydrolysis of urea by urease.
Asunto(s)
Oro , Nanopartículas del Metal , Colorimetría , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Teléfono InteligenteRESUMEN
A method for the fabrication of well-defined metallic nanostructures is presented here in a simple and straightforward fashion. As an alternative to lithographic techniques, this routine employs microcontact printing utilizing wrinkled stamps, which are prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and includes the formation of hydrophobic stripe patterns on a substrate via the transfer of oligomeric PDMS. Subsequent backfilling of the interspaces between these stripes with a hydroxyl-functional poly(2-vinyl pyridine) then provides the basic pattern for the deposition of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles promoted by electrostatic interaction. The resulting metallic nanostripes can be further customized by peeling off particles in a second microcontact printing step, which employs poly(ethylene imine) surface-decorated wrinkled stamps, to form nanolattices. Due to the independent adjustability of the period dimensions of the wrinkled stamps and stamp orientation with respect to the substrate, particle arrays on the (sub)micro-scale with various kinds of geometries are accessible in a straightforward fashion. This work provides an alternative, cost-effective, and scalable surface-patterning technique to fabricate nanolattice structures applicable to multiple types of functional nanoparticles. Being a top-down method, this process could be readily implemented into, e.g., the fabrication of optical and sensing devices on a large scale.
RESUMEN
Asymmetric nanoparticle trimers composed of particles with increasing diameter act as "plasmonic lenses" and have been predicted to exhibit ultrahigh confinement of electromagnetic energy in the space between the two smallest particles. Here we present an electrostatic self-assembly approach for creating gold nanoparticle trimers with an assembly yield of over 60%. We demonstrate that the trimer assembly leads to characteristic red-shifts and show the localization of the relevant plasmon modes by means of cathodoluminescence and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The results are analyzed in terms of surface plasmon hybridization.
RESUMEN
A M13 virus based SERS nanoprobe is presented. Gold nanocubes closely aligned into chains along the length of the virus intensify Raman signals of various reporter molecules serving as specific labels. An antibody is expressed at one end to detect the analyte. This new SERS nanoprobe holds promise for infinitesimal and multiplexed detection of any antigen.