Intracellular surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with thermally stable gold nanoflowers grown from Pt and Pd seeds

Plasmonic Microgels for Raman-Based Molecular Detection Created by Simultaneous Photoreduction and Photocross-linking

Molecular detection in complex mixtures is of great importance in biomedical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring. Although surface-enhanced Raman scattering serves as one of the most promising detection methods, metal surfaces are prone to contamination, making the direct detection of small molecules in mixtures elusive. Metal nanoparticle-loaded hydrogels have been used for the exclusion of large adhesive molecules and direct detection of small molecules. Here, we design microgels containing highly concentrated gold nanoparticles through the simultaneous formation of hydrogel and gold nanoparticles in emulsion droplets. Monodisperse water-in-oil droplets are microfluidically prepared to contain a gold precursor, hydrogel precursor, and photoinitiator. Upon ultraviolet irradiation, a hydrogel is gradually formed in the drop by photocross-linking at which gold nanoparticles are synthesized and grown by photo and thermal reduction. The in situ synthesis provides the uniform distribution of gold nanoparticles at very high concentrations without aggregation, which is otherwise very difficult to achieve. Using the microgels, small molecules in albumin solutions can be detected by Raman measurement with high signal sensitivity and reproducibility in the absence of interruption from albumin. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the direct detection of pyocyanin, a biomarker for Pseudomonas infection spiked in unpurified saliva.

Electrospun flexible poly(bisphenol A carbonate) nanofibers decorated with Ag nanoparticles as effective 3D SERS substrates for trace TNT detection

A flexible 3D hybrid PC/Ag surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate was fabricated through the combination of electrospinning and in situ chemical reduction. Due to the rough surface morphology and the intricate 3D structure, a high density of Raman "hotspots" was formed at the junctions of cross-linked nanofibers, resulting in excellent sensitivity to a probe molecule (4-aminothiophenol). The nanofibers were modified with l-cysteine to capture TNT molecules by the formation of a Meisenheimer complex, after which positively charged 4-ATP-labelled AgNPs were introduced to the system, which both generated more hotspots and led to a linear relationship between the TNT concentration and the SERS intensity of the labelled molecules. As a result, a good linear response ranging from 10^-8 to 10^-12 M was achieved, and the detection limit for TNT was as low as 2.05 × 10^-13 M. This strategy demonstrates an ultra-sensitive approach for the detection of trace amounts of TNT, and a promising method for the detection of many other analogous explosives.

Surface-plasmon-induced azo coupling reaction between nitro compounds on dendritic silver monitored by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Azo coupling reactions with a 4-NTP-functionalized Ag-Ds/GCE composites.

Raman tags: Novel optical probes for intracellular sensing and imaging

Optical labels are needed for probing specific target molecules in complex biological systems. As a newly emerging category of tags for molecular imaging in live cells, the Raman label attracts much attention because of the rich information obtained from targeted and untargeted molecules by detecting molecular vibrations. Here, we list three types of Raman probes based on different mechanisms: Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) probes, bioorthogonal Raman probes, and Resonance Raman (RR) probes. We review how these Raman probes work for detecting and imaging proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and other biomolecules in vitro, within cells, or in vivo. We also summarize recent noteworthy studies, expound on the construction of every type of Raman probe and operating principle, sum up in tables typically targeting molecules for specific binding, and provide merits, drawbacks, and future prospects for the three Raman probes.

Controlled Permeability in Porous Polymer Nanocapsules Enabling Size- and Charge-Selective SERS Nanoprobes

Nanoprobes for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were prepared by creating nanorattles, or yolk-shell structures, containing gold or silver nanoparticles entrapped in porous hollow polymer nanocapsules. Controlled permeability of the shells of nanocapsules, achieved by controlling the pore size and/or shell surface functionalization, resulted in size- and charge-selective SERS analyses. For example, a trace amount of phenanthroline, a model analyte, was detected in human blood plasma without preprocessing of plasma samples. Comparison with commercially available nanoparticles showed superior performance of the newly prepared nanorattle structures.

Electrochemically fabricated gold dendrites with underpotential deposited silver monolayers for a bimetallic SERS-active substrate

SERS of Ag-covered Au-dendrites (Ag–Au-Ds) outperforms that of Au-Ds at a specific 633 nm laser excitation, and is attributed to improved chemical mechanism (CM) SERS with the Ag–p-NTP bonding and the p-NTP molecular architecture.

Gold nanoflowers with tunable sheet-like petals: facile synthesis, SERS performances and cell imaging

Gold nanoflowers with tunable sheet-like petals were controllably synthesized, and their SERS performances as well as their application in cell imaging were studied.

Hollow Au/Ag nanostars displaying broad plasmonic resonance and high surface-enhanced Raman sensitivity

Bimetallic Au/Ag hollow nanostar (HNS) nanoparticles with different morphologies were prepared in this work. These nanoplatforms were obtained by changing the experimental conditions (concentration of silver and chemical reductors, hydroxylamine and citrate) and by using Ag nanostars as template nanoparticles (NPs) through galvanic replacement. The goal of this research was to create bimetallic Au/Ag star-shaped nanoparticles with advanced properties displaying a broader plasmonic resonance, a cleaner exposed surface, and a high concentration of electromagnetic hot spots on the surface provided by the special morphology of nanostars. The size, shape, and composition of Ag as well as their optical properties were studied by extinction spectroscopy, hyperspectral dark field microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Finally, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of these HNS was investigated by using thioflavin T, a biomarker of the β-amyloid fibril formation, responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Lucigenin, a molecule displaying different SERS activities on Au and Ag, was also used to explore the presence of these metals on the NP surface. Thus, a relationship between the morphology, plasmon resonance and SERS activity of these new NPs was made.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active gold nanochains for multiplex detection and photodynamic therapy of cancer

Multifunctional nanomedicine holds considerable promise as the next generation of medicine that will enable early detection of diseases, as well as simultaneous monitoring and therapy with minimal toxicity. In particular, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology with high sensitivity and multiplexing capabilities is emerging as a powerful alternative for identifying specific biological targets in live cells. In this paper, we present the synthesis of SERS-active gold nanochains (AuNCs) as a potential theranostic system for multiplex detection and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. AuNCs were prepared by a simple physical mixing method to assemble citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles into nanochains using hyaluronic acid and hydrocaffeic acid (HA-HCA) conjugates as templates. In addition, Raman reporters and photosensitizers (PSs) were conjugated onto the surface of the AuNCs for multiplex detection and PDT action. After mixing with HA-HCA conjugates, citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles formed the AuNC structure, and AuNC length was controlled by the HCA conjugation ratio in the HA-HCA conjugates. AuNCs exhibited maximal absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region and effective SERS property. Confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, Raman spectroscopy and Bio-TEM measurements were used to determine cellular uptake of the Raman reporter, PS and AuNCs in HeLa cells. AuNCs conjugated with Raman reporter and PS (HA-HCAn-Au-Pheo-NPT) showed more than 99% cellular uptake and exhibited excellent phototoxicity even at low PS concentrations compared with free PS after laser irradiation. This SERS-active AuNC (HA-HCAn-Au-Pheo-NPT) shows promise for applications in theranostics, integrating SERS imaging and PDT.

3D silver nanoparticles decorated zinc oxide/silicon heterostructured nanomace arrays as high-performance surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical nanostructures have been considered as one of the most promising surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates because of the ordered arrangement of high-density hotspots along the third dimension direction. Herein, we reported a unique 3D nanostructure for SERS detection based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) decorated zinc oxide/silicon (ZnO/Si) heterostructured nanomace arrays. They were prepared by two steps: (1) Si nanoneedles were grafted onto ZnO nanorod arrays via a catalyst-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism. (2) AgNPs were rapidly immobilized on the surface of nanomaces by a facile galvanic displacement reaction. The fabricated substrates were employed to detect rhodamine 6G (R6G) with a detection limit down to 10(-16) M, and exhibited a high-enhanced performance (enhancement factor (EF) as high as 8.7 × 10(7)). To illustrate the potential value of the prepared substrates, the different concentrations of melamine aqueous solution (from 10(-4) to 10(-10) M) were detected, and a quantitative relationship between the SERS spectrum intensity and the melamine concentration had been established. In addition, the measure of melamine residual in pure milk was carried out successfully, and the results indicated that the prepared 3D nanomace substrates had great potential in food inspection, environment protection, and a few other technologically important fields.

Green synthesis of asymmetrically textured silver meso-flowers (AgMFs) as highly sensitive SERS substrates

Highly asymmetrical "flower-like" micron silver particles, so-called hierarchical silver meso-flowers (AgMFs), were facilely synthesized using ascorbic acid at room temperature in the presence of chitosan biopolymer. The time-evolution of TEM images and XRD analysis confirmed the anisotropic growth of AgMFs with single crystalline phase of which the formation mechanism was described in detail. The morphology and size of as-prepared AgMFs were tunable simply by changing the concentration of chitosan biopolymer and/or AgNO3 precursor under otherwise identical conditions. The asymmetrically textured AgMFs dramatically enhanced Raman signals of probe molecules (2-chlorothiophenol, 4-aminothiophenol) even at a single particle level because of their surface morphologies consisting of numerous nanoedges and crevices.

Multifunctional Fe3O4@TiO2@Au magnetic microspheres as recyclable substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Herein, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of multifunctional triplex Fe3O4@TiO2@Au core-shell magnetic microspheres (MSs), which show excellent surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity with high reproducibility and stability. In addition, due to their excellent catalytic properties, the as-prepared Fe3O4@TiO2@Au magnetic MSs can clean themselves by photocatalytic degradation of target molecules adsorbed onto the substrate under irradiation with visible light, and can be re-used for several cycles with convenient magnetic separability. The influence of the size and distribution of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the Fe3O4@TiO2 beads is investigated. The optimized samples employing Au NPs of 15 nm size and an areal density of about 2120 Au NPs on every MS show the best SERS activity and recyclable performance. The experimental results show that these magnetic MSs indicate a new route in eliminating the 'single-use' problem of traditional SERS substrates and exhibit their applicability as analytical tools for the detection of different molecular species.