Design and Optimization of Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy for Optical Constant Characterization and Potential Sensing Application: Theoretical and Experimental Approaches

The best surface plasmon resonance (SPR) signal can be generated based on several factors that include the excitation wavelength, the type of metal used, and the thickness of the metal layer. In this study, the aforementioned factors have been investigated to obtain the best SPR signal. The excitation wavelength of 633 nm and gold metal with thickness of 50 nm were required to generate the SPR signal before the SPR was used for optical constant characterization by fitting of experimental results to the theoretical data. The employed strategy has good agreement with the theoretical value where the real part refractive index, n value, of the gold thin film was 0.1245 while the value for the imaginary part, k, was 3.6812 with 47.7 nm thickness. Besides that, the optical characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)-based thin film has also been demonstrated. The n and k values found for this thin film were 1.4240 and 0.2520, respectively, with optimal thickness of 9.5 nm. Interestingly when the NCC-based thin film was exposed to copper ion solution with n value of 1.3333 and k value of 0.0060 to 0.0070 with various concentrations (0.01–10 ppm), a clear change of the refractive index value was observed. This result suggests that the NCC-based thin film has high potential for copper ion sensing using SPR with a sensitivity of 8.0052°/RIU.

Preparation, Functionalization, Modification, and Applications of Nanostructured Gold: A Critical Review

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) play a significant role in science and technology because of their unique size, shape, properties and broad range of potential applications. This review focuses on the various approaches employed for the synthesis, modification and functionalization of nanostructured Au. The potential catalytic applications and their enhancement upon modification of Au nanostructures have also been discussed in detail. The present analysis also offers brief summaries of the major Au nanomaterials synthetic procedures, such as hydrothermal, solvothermal, sol-gel, direct oxidation, chemical vapor deposition, sonochemical deposition, electrochemical deposition, microwave and laser pyrolysis. Among the various strategies used for improving the catalytic performance of nanostructured Au, the modification and functionalization of nanostructured Au produced better results. Therefore, various synthesis, modification and functionalization methods employed for better catalytic outcomes of nanostructured Au have been summarized in this review.

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Analysis of Chitosan-Graphene Oxide-Based Composite Thin Films for Potential Optical Sensing Applications

In this study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study chitosan-graphene oxide (chitosan-GO) incorporated with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) and cadmium sulfide quantum dot (CdS QD) composite thin films for the potential optical sensing of cobalt ions (Co2+). From the XPS results, it was confirmed that carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen elements existed on the PAR-chitosan-GO thin film, while for CdS QD-chitosan-GO, the existence of carbon, oxygen, cadmium, nitrogen, and sulfur were confirmed. Further deconvolution of each element using the Gaussian-Lorentzian curve fitting program revealed the sub-peak component of each element and hence the corresponding functional group was identified. Next, investigation using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) optical sensor proved that both chitosan-GO-based thin films were able to detect Co2+ as low as 0.01 ppm for both composite thin films, while the PAR had the higher binding affinity. The interaction of the Co2+ with the thin films was characterized again using XPS to confirm the functional group involved during the reaction. The XPS results proved that primary amino in the PAR-chitosan-GO thin film contributed more important role for the reaction with Co2+, as in agreement with the SPR results.

Polysaccharides as the Sensing Material for Metal Ion Detection-Based Optical Sensor Applications

The incorporation of a proper sensing material towards the construction of high selectivity optical sensing devices is vital. Polysaccharides, such as chitosan and carrageenan, are among the bio-based sensing materials that are extensively employed due to their remarkable physicochemical attributes. This paper highlights the critical aspects of the design of suitable polysaccharides for the recognition of specific analytes through physical and chemical modifications of polysaccharide structure. Such modifications lead to the enhancement of physicochemical properties of polysaccharides and optical sensor performance. Chitosan and carrageenan are two materials that possess excellent features which are capable of sensing target analytes via various interactions. The interaction between polysaccharides and analytes is dependent on the availability of functional groups in their structure. The integration of polysaccharides with various optical sensing techniques further improves optical sensor performance. The application of polysaccharides as sensing materials in various optical sensing techniques is also highlighted, particularly for metal ion sensing.

Development of Biopolymer and Conducting Polymer-Based Optical Sensors for Heavy Metal Ion Detection

Great efforts have been devoted to the invention of environmental sensors as the amount of water pollution has increased in recent decades. Chitosan, cellulose and nanocrystalline cellulose are examples of biopolymers that have been intensively studied due to their potential applications, particularly as sensors. Furthermore, the rapid use of conducting polymer materials as a sensing layer in environmental monitoring has also been developed. Thus, the incorporation of biopolymer and conducting polymer materials with various methods has shown promising potential with sensitively and selectively toward heavy metal ions. In this feature paper, selected recent and updated investigations are reviewed on biopolymer and conducting polymer-based materials in sensors aimed at the detection of heavy metal ions by optical methods. This review intends to provide sufficient evidence of the potential of polymer-based materials as sensing layers, and future outlooks are considered in developing surface plasmon resonance as an excellent and valid sensor for heavy metal ion detection.

Enhancing the sensitivity of a surface plasmon resonance-based optical sensor for zinc ion detection by the modification of a gold thin film

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors as novel optical sensors for the detection of a variety of analytes have been receiving increasing attention and their sensitivity has become the research hotspot recently. In this study, the sensitivity of an SPR optical sensor was enhanced by modifying a gold thin film with a nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)-based material for zinc ion (Zn2+) detection that exists in the environment due to industrial processing. By replacing the gold thin film with a novel modified-gold thin film, Zn2+ can be detected from the range of 0 to 10 ppm using SPR. It is believed that the Zn2+ may interact with the negative charge molecules that exist on the modified-gold thin film, and this was confirmed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, this modified-gold-SPR has a high sensitivity of 1.892° ppm-1 up to 0.1 ppm with an enhanced detection of Zn2+ as low as 0.01 ppm. The SPR results also followed the Langmuir isotherm model with a binding affinity of 1.927 × 103 M-1, which further confirmed the sensitivity of the SPR sensor. In addition, using the modified-gold thin film, SPR has a higher affinity towards Zn2+ compared to other metal ions, i.e. Ni2+, Fe2+, Cr2+, Mn2+, and Co2+.

Development of Graphene Quantum Dots-Based Optical Sensor for Toxic Metal Ion Detection

About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Human beings, animals, and plants need water in order to survive. Therefore, it is one of the most important substances that exist on Earth. However, most of the water resources nowadays are insufficiently clean, since they are contaminated with toxic metal ions due to the improper disposal of pollutants into water through industrial and agricultural activities. These toxic metal ions need to be detected as fast as possible so that the situation will not become more critical and cause more harm in the future. Since then, numerous sensing methods have been proposed, including chemical and optical sensors that aim to detect these toxic metal ions. All of the researchers compete with each other to build sensors with the lowest limit of detection and high sensitivity and selectivity. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have emerged as a highly potential sensing material to incorporate with the developed sensors due to the advantages of GQDs. Several recent studies showed that GQDs, functionalized GQDs, and their composites were able to enhance the optical detection of metal ions. The aim of this paper is to review the existing, latest, and updated studies on optical sensing applications of GQDs-based materials toward toxic metal ions and future developments of an excellent GQDs-based SPR sensor as an alternative toxic metal ion sensor.

Label-free optical spectroscopy for characterizing binding properties of highly sensitive nanocrystalline cellulose-graphene oxide based nanocomposite towards nickel ion

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a label-free optical spectroscopy that is widely used for biomolecular interaction analysis. In this work, SPR was used to characterize the binding properties of highly sensitive nanocrystalline cellulose-graphene oxide based nanocomposite (CTA-NCC/GO) towards nickel ion. The formation of CTA-NCC/GO nanocomposite has been confirmed by FT-IR. The SPR analysis result shows that the CTA-NCC/GO has high binding affinity towards Ni²⁺ from 0.01 until 0.1 ppm with binding affinity constant of 1.620 × 10³ M^-1. The sensitivity for the CTA-NCC/GO calculated was 1.509° ppm^-1. The full width at half maximum (FWHM), data accuracy (DA), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have also been determined using the obtained SPR curve. For the FWHM, the value was 2.25° at 0.01 until 0.08 ppm and decreases to 2.12° at 0.1 until 10 ppm. The DA for the SPR curves is the highest at 0.01 until 0.08 ppm and lowest at 0.1 until 10 ppm. The SNR curves mirrors the curves of SPR angle shift where the SNR increases with the Ni²⁺ concentrations. For the selectivity test, the CTA-NCC/GO has the abilities to differentiate Ni²⁺ in the mixture of metal ions.

Interaction of gold nanoparticles mediated by captopril and S-nitrosocaptopril: the effect of manganese ions in mild acid medium

We report herein results regarding reactivity and assembly of citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) mediated by captopril (cap) and S-nitrosocaptopril (NOcap), two angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and antihypertensive agents. The results were compared with that of cysteine (Cys), a thiol-containing amino acid found in plasma. The interparticle interactions were characterized by monitoring the evolution of the surface plasmon resonance band using the spectrophotometric method. The original gold nanoparticles were efficiently modified by small amounts of Mn(+2) ions, which are adsorbed onto the surface of 15.4 nm citrate-capped gold nanoparticles, giving rise to manganese-gold nanoparticles (Mn-AuNPs) that, in mild acid medium, have proved to be highly sensitive and a rapid colorimetric detection method for thiols. Depending on the concentration of the Mn(+2) ions the aggregation of AuNPs can be rapidly induced. The kinetics of the assembly process has been studied. Good first-order kinetics has been observed, with the exception of captopril-mediated nanoparticle aggregation at low concentration of either cap or acid. The rate of Cys-mediated assembly of gold nanoparticles in aqueous 10 mM acetic acid is more than 20-times faster than pure AuNPs and concentrations of Cys as low as 34 nM can be detected in less than 40 min under conditions of stable Mn-AuNPs. Similar effects were observed with cap or NOcap. The assembly-disassembly reversibility is shown with cap and NOcap and depends highly on pH.

Silver Nanoparticle-Enhanced Resonance Raman Sensor of Chromium(III) in Seawater Samples

Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Tris-EDTA), upon binding Cr(III) in aqueous solutions at pH 8.0 on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), was found to provide a sensitive and selective Raman marker band at ~563 cm-1, which can be ascribed to the metal-N band. UV-Vis absorption spectra also supported the aggregation and structural change of EDTA upon binding Cr(III). Only for Cr(III) concentrations above 500 nM, the band at ~563 cm-1 become strongly intensified in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra. This band, due to the metal-EDTA complex, was not observed in the case of 50 mM of K+, Cd2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Na+, Cu2+, NH4+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+ ions. Seawater samples containing K, Mg, Ca, and Na ion concentrations higher than 8 mM also showed the characteristic Raman band at ~563 cm-1 above 500 nM, validating our method. Our approach may be useful in detecting real water samples by means of AgNPs and Raman spectroscopy.

Environmental applications of chitosan and its derivatives

Chitosan originates from the seafood processing industry and is one of the most abundant of bio-waste materials. Chitosan is a by-product of the alkaline deacetylation process of chitin. Chemically, chitosan is a polysaccharide that is soluble in acidic solution and precipitates at higher pHs. It has great potential for certain environmental applications, such as remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants, including toxic metals and dyes in soil, sediment and water, and development of contaminant sensors. Traditionally, seafood waste has been the primary source of chitin. More recently, alternative sources have emerged such as fungal mycelium, mushroom and krill wastes, and these new sources of chitin and chitosan may overcome seasonal supply limitations that have existed. The production of chitosan from the above-mentioned waste streams not only reduces waste volume, but alleviates pressure on landfills to which the waste would otherwise go. Chitosan production involves four major steps, viz., deproteination, demineralization, bleaching and deacetylation. These four processes require excessive usage of strong alkali at different stages, and drives chitosan's production cost up, potentially making the application of high-grade chitosan for commercial remediation untenable. Alternate chitosan processing techniques, such as microbial or enzymatic processes, may become more cost-effective due to lower energy consumption and waste generation. Chitosan has proved to be versatile for so many environmental applications, because it possesses certain key functional groups, including - OH and -NH2 . However, the efficacy of chitosan is diminished at low pH because of its increased solubility and instability. These deficiencies can be overcome by modifying chitosan's structure via crosslinking. Such modification not only enhances the structural stability of chitosan under low pH conditions, but also improves its physicochemical characteristics, such as porosity, hydraulic conductivity, permeability, surface area and sorption capacity. Crosslinked chitosan is an excellent sorbent for trace metals especially because of the high flexibility of its structural stability. Sorption of trace metals by chitosan is selective and independent of the size and hardness of metal ions, or the physical form of chitosan (e.g., film, powder and solution). Both -OH and -NH2 groups in chitosan provide vital binding sites for complexing metal cations. At low pH, -NH3 + groups attract and coagulate negatively charged contaminants such as metal oxyanions, humic acids and dye molecules. Grafting certain functional molecules into the chitin structure improves sorption capacity and selectivity for remediating specific metal ions. For example, introducing sulfur and nitrogen donor ligands to chitosan alters the sorption preference for metals. Low molecular weight chitosan derivatives have been used to remediate metal contaminated soil and sediments. They have also been applied in permeable reactive barriers to remediate metals in soil and groundwater. Both chitosan and modified chitosan have been used to phytoremediate metals; however, the mechanisms by which they assist in mobilizing metals are not yet well understood. In addition, microbes have been used in combination with chitosan to remediate metals (e.g., Cu and Zn) in contaminated soils. Chitosan has also been used to remediate organic contaminants, such as oil-based wastewater, dyes, tannins, humic acids, phenols, bisphenoi-A, p-benzoquinone, organo-phosphorus insecticides, among others. Chitosan has also been utilized to develop optical and electrochemical sensors for in-situ detection of trace contaminants. In sensor technology, naturally-derived chitosan is used primarily as an immobilizing agent that results from its enzyme compatibility, and stabilizing effect on nanoparticles. Contaminant-sensing agents, such as enzymes, microbes and nanoparticles, have been homogeneously immobilized in chitosan gels by using coagulating (e.g., alginate, phosphate) or crosslinking agents (e.g., GA, ECH). Such immobilization maintains the stability of sensing elements in the chitosan gel phase, and prevents inactivation and loss of the sensing agent. In this review, we have shown that chitosan, an efficient by-product of a waste biomaterial, has great potential for many environmental applications. With certain limitations, chitosan and its derivatives can be used for remediating contaminated soil and wastewater. Notwithstanding, further research is needed to enhance the physicochemical properties of chitosan and mitigate its deficiencies.

Sensing using localised surface plasmon resonance sensors

The bright colours of noble metal particles have attracted considerable interest since historical times, where they were used as decorative pigments in stained glass windows. More recently, the tuneable optical properties of metal nanoparticles and their addressability via spectroscopic techniques have brought them back into the forefront of fundamental and applied research fields. Much of the recent attention concerning metal nanoparticles such as gold and silver has been their use as small-volume, ultra-sensitive label-free optical sensors. Plasmonic nanoparticles act in this case as transducers that convert changes in the local refractive index into spectral shifts of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band. This LSPR-shift assay is a general technique for measuring binding affinities and rates from any molecule that induces a change in the local refractive index around the metallic nanostructures. By attaching molecular recognition elements (chemical or biological ligands) on the nanostructures, specificity and selectivity to the analyte of interest are introduced into the nanosensor. In this review, we will discuss the different methods used to fabricate plasmonic nanosensors. A special emphasis will be given to techniques used to link plasmonic nanostructures to surfaces. While the difference between colorimetric and refractive index sensing approaches will be briefly described, the importance to distinguish between bulk refractive index (RI) sensing and molecular near-field refractive index sensing will be discussed. The recent progress made in the development of novel surface functionalization strategies together with the formation of optically and mechanically stable LSPR sensors will be highlighted.

Three strategies to stabilise nearly monodispersed silver nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Silver nanoparticles are extensively used due to their chemical and physical properties and promising applications in areas such as medicine and electronics. Controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles remains a major challenge due to the difficulty in producing long-term stable particles of the same size and shape in aqueous solution. To address this problem, we examine three strategies to stabilise aqueous solutions of 15 nm citrate-reduced silver nanoparticles using organic polymeric capping, bimetallic core-shell and bimetallic alloying. Our results show that these strategies drastically improve nanoparticle stability by distinct mechanisms. Additionally, we report a new role of polymer functionalisation in preventing further uncontrolled nanoparticle growth. For bimetallic nanoparticles, we attribute the presence of a higher valence metal on the surface of the nanoparticle as one of the key factors for improving their long-term stability. Stable silver-based nanoparticles, free of organic solvents, will have great potential for accelerating further environmental and nanotoxicity studies.PACS: 81.07.-b; 81.16.Be; 82.70.Dd.

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun semiconductor nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte ultra-fine fiber composites for sensing applications

Fluorescent composite fibrous assembles of nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte fibers are useful multifunctional materials, utilized in filtration, sensing and tissue engineering applications, with the added benefits of improved mechanical, electrical or structural characteristics over the individual components. Composite fibrous mats were prepared by electrospinning aqueous solutions of 6 wt% poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) loaded with 0.15 and 0.20% v/v, carboxyl functionalized CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles (SNPs). The resulting fluorescent composite fibrous mats exhibits recoverable quenching when exposed to high humidity. The sensor response is sensitive to water concentration and is attributed to the change in the local charges around the SNPs due to deprotonation of the carboxylic acids on the SNPs and the surrounding polymer matrix.

Prospects of Nanobiomaterials for Biosensing

Progress and development in biosensor development will inevitably focus upon the technology of the nanomaterials that offer promise to solve the biocompatibility and biofouling problems. The biosensors using smart nanomaterials have applications for rapid, specific, sensitive, inexpensive, in-field, on-line and/or real-time detection of pesticides, antibiotics, pathogens, toxins, proteins, microbes, plants, animals, foods, soil, air, and water. Thus, biosensors are excellent analytical tools for pollution monitoring, by which implementation of legislative provisions to safeguard our biosphere could be made effectively plausible. The current trends and challenges with nanomaterials for various applications will have focus biosensor development and miniaturization. All these growing areas will have a remarkable influence on the development of new ultrasensitive biosensing devices to resolve the severe pollution problems in the future that not only challenges the human health but also affects adversely other various comforts to living entities. This review paper summarizes recent progress in the development of biosensors by integrating functional biomolecules with different types of nanomaterials, including metallic nanoparticles, semiconductor nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, inorganic/organic hybrid, dendrimers, and carbon nanotubes/graphene.

Recent developments and applications of hybrid surface plasmon resonance interfaces in optical sensing

Nanostructured noble metals exhibit an intense optical near field due to surface plasmon resonance, therefore promising widespread applications and being of interest to a broad spectrum of scientists, ranging from physicists, chemists, and materials scientists to biologists. A wealth of research is available discussing the synthesis, characterization, and application of noble metal nanoparticles in optical sensing. However, with respect to the sensitivity of the frequency and width of these surface plasmon resonance modes to the particle's shape, size, and environment, in nearly every case, success strongly depends on the availability of highly stable, adhesive, and sensitive nanoparticles. This undoubtedly presents a challenging task to nanofabrication. The past decade has witnessed fascinating advances in this field, in particular, the construction of oxide-based hybrid plasmonic interfaces to overcome the problem addressed above by (1) coating the metallic nanostructures with thin overlayers to form sandwiched structures or (2) embedding metallic nanostructures in a dielectric matrix to obtain metal/dielectric matrix nanocomposite films. In this critical review, we focus on recent work related to this field, beginning with a presentation of hybrid films with enhanced structural and optical stability, readily and selectively designed using chemical and physical techniques. We then illustrate their interesting optical properties and demonstrate exciting evidence for the postulated application in surface plasmon sensing fields. Finally, we survey the work remaining to be done for that potential to be realized.