In Situ Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy of Aqueous Molecules with Facile-Prepared Large-Area Reduced Graphene Oxide Island Film

Graphene-enhanced quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy using diamond thin-film waveguides

Diamond thin-film waveguides were combined with quantum cascade lasers augmented by drop-casted graphene enabling surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy. Enhancing the signal provides access to an even more pronounced vibrational signature suitable for analytical scenarios where only a small sample volume and/or low analyte concentration levels are prevalent. To demonstrate the utility of this concept, taurine was investigated as a model analyte.

Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Aqueous Molecules Employing Tunable Graphene Plasmons in an Otto Prism

Real-time and in situ detection of aqueous solution is essential for bioanalysis and chemical reactions. However, it is extremely challenging for infrared microscopic measurement because of the large background of water absorption. Here, we proposed a wideband-tunable graphene plasmonic infrared biosensor to detect biomolecules in an aqueous environment, employing attenuated total reflection in an Otto prism configuration and tightly confined plasmons in graphene nanoribbons. Benefiting from the graphene plasmonic electric field enhancement, such a biosensor is able to identify the molecular chemical fingerprints without the interference of water absorption. As a proof of concept, the recombinant protein AG and goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) are used as the sensing analytes, of which the vibrational modes (1669 and 1532 cm^-1) are very close to the OH-bending mode of water (1640 cm^-1). Simulation results show that the fingerprints of protein molecules in the water environment can be selectively enhanced. Therefore, the water absorption is successfully suppressed so that two protein modes can be resolved by sweeping graphene Fermi energy in a wide waveband. By further optimizing the incident angle and graphene mobility to improve the mode energy of graphene plasmons, maximum enhancement factors of 112 and 130 can be achieved for amide I and II bands. Our work provides an effective approach for the highly sensitive and selective in situ identification of aqueous-phase molecular fingerprints in fields of healthcare, food safety, and biochemical sensing.

Dynamic surface properties of PEG-coated CuS nanoparticles alter their interaction with cells as revealed by surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy

Characterization of the dynamic changes of the basic surface properties of nanoparticles is of great significance to reveal the interaction mechanism between nanoparticles and cells; however, it is often neglected due to the limitations of existing analytical methods. This knowledge has been renewed by using surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) to study the interaction between PEG-CuS nanoparticles and living cells attached to rGO-Au modified Au films. Based on the difference spectra of cell membranes and the associated water, we clearly revealed that Cu²⁺ ions produced by the degradation of PEG-CuS can coordinate with PEG, thus changing the interaction between nanoparticles and cells including how and how many nanoparticles enter the cells and the sequential photothermal effect, which breaks through the limitations of the present analytical methods.