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Zhang X, Li Z, Ji S, Xu W, Chen L, Xiao Z, Liu J, Hong W. Plasmon-Molecule Interactions in Single-Molecule Junctions. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300556. [PMID: 38050755 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule optoelectronics offers opportunities for advancing integrated photonics and electronics, which also serves as a tool to elucidate the underlying mechanism of light-matter interaction. Plasmonics, which plays pivotal role in the interaction of photons and matter, have became an emerging area. A comprehensive understanding of the plasmonic excitation and modulation mechanisms within single-molecule junctions (SMJs) lays the foundation for optoelectronic devices. Consequently, this review primarily concentrates on illuminating the fundamental principles of plasmonics within SMJs, delving into their research methods and modulation factors of plasmon-exciton. Moreover, we underscore the interaction phenomena within SMJs, including the enhancement of molecular fluorescence by plasmonics, Fano resonance and Rabi splitting caused by the interaction of plasmon-exciton. Finally, by emphasizing the potential applications of plasmonics within SMJs, such as their roles in optical tweezers, single-photon sources, super-resolution imaging, and chemical reactions, we elucidate the future prospects and current challenges in this domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Zhengyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Shurui Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Wei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Lijue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Zongyuan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Wenjing Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
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Ma T, Chang S, He J, Liang F. Emerging sensing platforms based on Cucurbit[ n]uril functionalized gold nanoparticles and electrodes. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 60:150-167. [PMID: 38054368 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc04851a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s, n = 5-8, 10, and 14), synthetic macrocycles with unique host-guest properties, have triggered increasing research interest in recent years. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and electrodes stand out as exceptional substrates for sensing due to their remarkable physicochemical characteristics. Coupling the CB[n]s with Au NPs and electrodes has enabled the development of emerging sensing platforms for various promising applications. However, monitoring the behavior of analytes at the single-molecule level is currently one of the most challenging topics in the field of CB[n]-based sensing. Constructing supramolecular junctions in a sensing platform provides an ideal structure for single-molecule analysis, which can provide insights for a fundamental understanding of supramolecular interactions and chemical reactions and guide the design of sensing applications. This feature article outlines the progress in the preparation of the CB[n] functionalized Au NPs and Au electrodes, as well as the construction and application of supramolecular junctions in sensing platforms, based on the methods of recognition tunneling (RT), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), and electrochemical sensing (ECS). A brief perspective on the future development of and challenges in CB[n] mediated sensing platforms is also covered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Ma
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Coal Conversion and New Carbon Materials Hubei Key Laboratory, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China.
| | - Shuai Chang
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Coal Conversion and New Carbon Materials Hubei Key Laboratory, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China.
| | - Jin He
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA.
| | - Feng Liang
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Coal Conversion and New Carbon Materials Hubei Key Laboratory, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China.
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Kong N, Guo J, Chang S, Pan J, Wang J, Zhou J, Liu J, Zhou H, Pfeffer FM, Liu J, Barrow CJ, He J, Yang W. Direct Observation of Amide Bond Formation in a Plasmonic Nanocavity Triggered by Single Nanoparticle Collisions. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:9781-9790. [PMID: 34164979 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c02426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The real-time observation of chemical bond formation at the single-molecule level is one of the great challenges in the fields of organic and biomolecular chemistry. Valuable information can be gleaned that is not accessible using ensemble-average measurements. Although remarkably sophisticated techniques for monitoring chemical reactions have been developed, the ability to detect the specific formation of a chemical bond in situ at the single-molecule level has remained an elusive goal. Amide bonds are routinely formed from the aminolysis of N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters by primary amines, and the protocol is widely used for the synthesis, cross-linking, and labeling of peptides and proteins. Herein, a plasmonic nanocavity was applied to study aminolysis reaction for amide bond formation, which was initiated by single nanoparticle collision events between suitably functionalized free-moving gold nanoparticles and a gold nanoelectrode in an aqueous buffer. By means of simultaneous surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and single-entity electrochemistry (EC) measurements, we have probed the dynamic evolution of amide bond formation in the aminolysis reaction with 10 s of millisecond time resolution. Hence, we demonstrate that single-entity EC-SERS is a valuable and sensitive technique by which chemical reactions can be studied at the single-molecule level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Kong
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia.,Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Shuai Chang
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, the Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China
| | - Jie Pan
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Jianmei Wang
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Jianghao Zhou
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States.,The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China
| | - Jing Liu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia.,Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Tumor Markers, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong 276005, P. R. China
| | - Hong Zhou
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia.,Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Tumor Markers, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong 276005, P. R. China
| | - Frederick M Pfeffer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Jingquan Liu
- College of Material Science and Engineering, Institute for Graphene Applied Technology Innovation, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Colin J Barrow
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Jin He
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States.,Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Wenrong Yang
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
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Guo J, Yan X, Xu M, Ghimire G, Pan X, He J. Effective Electrochemical Modulation of SERS Intensity Assisted by Core-Shell Nanoparticles. Anal Chem 2021; 93:4441-4448. [PMID: 33651586 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
An effective and reversible tuning of the intensity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of nonelectroactive molecules at nonresonance conditions by electrochemical means has been developed on plasmonic molecular nanojunctions formed between Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) and a gold nanoelectrode (AuNE) modified with a self-assembled monolayer. The Au@Ag nanoparticle on nanoelectrode (NPoNE) structures are formed in situ by the electrochemical deposition of Ag on AuNPs adsorbed on the AuNE and can be monitored by both the electrochemical current and SERS signals. Instead of introducing molecular changes by the applied electrode potential, the highly effective SERS intensity tuning was achieved by the chemical composition transformation of the ultrathin Ag shell from metallic Ag to insulating AgCl. The electrode potential-induced electromagnetic enhancement (EME) tuning in the Au@Ag NPoNE structure has been confirmed by finite-difference time-domain simulations. Moreover, the specific Raman band associated with Ag-molecule interaction can also be tuned by the electrode potential. Therefore, we demonstrated that the electrode potential could effectively and reversibly modulate both EME and chemical enhancement in Au@Ag NPoNE structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Guo
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Xingxu Yan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States.,Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Mingjie Xu
- Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Govinda Ghimire
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Xiaoqing Pan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States.,Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jin He
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, United States.,Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
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Scarpitti BT, Morrison AM, Buyanova M, Schultz ZD. Comparison of 4-Mercaptobenzoic Acid Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Based Methods for pH Determination in Cells. APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY 2020; 74:1423-1432. [PMID: 32731744 PMCID: PMC7747936 DOI: 10.1177/0003702820950768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of cellular pH are used to infer information such as stage of cell cycle, presence of cancer and other diseases, as well as delivery or effect of a therapeutic drug. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of nanoparticle-based pH probes have been used to interrogate intracellular pH, with the significant advantage of avoiding photobleaching compared to fluorescent indicators. 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) is a commonly used pH-sensitive reporter molecule. Intracellular pH sensing by SERS requires analysis of the observed MBA spectrum and spectral interference can affect the pH determination. Background from common cell containers, imaging too few particles, signal-to-noise ratios, and degradation of reporter molecules are among the factors that may alter appropriate SERS-based pH determination in cells. Here, we have compared common methods of spectral analysis to see how different factors alter the calculated pH in Raman maps of MBA functionalized Au nanostars in SW620 cancer cells. The methods included in our comparison use the relative intensity of the ν(COO-) stretch, chemometric analysis of the ν8a mode, and analyzing the frequency shift of the ν8a mode. These methods show different sensitivity to some of these sources of error in live cell experiments. pH determination based on Raman frequency shift appears to give a more reliable pH determination, though in high signal-to-noise environments, intensity ratios may provide better sensitivity to small changes in pH for cellular imaging.
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Ai Q, Zhou J, Guo J, Pandey P, Liu S, Fu Q, Liu Y, Deng C, Chang S, Liang F, He J. Observing dynamic molecular changes at single-molecule level in a cucurbituril based plasmonic molecular junction. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:17103-17112. [PMID: 32785409 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr03360j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a prominent tool for probing molecular interaction and reaction with single-molecule sensitivity. Here we use SERS to investigate the dynamic changes of the cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) based plasmonic molecular junctions in solution, which are spontaneously formed by the adsorption of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) at the CB[7] modified gold nanoelectrode (GNE) surface. The typical fingerprint Raman peaks of CB[7] are very weak in the SERS spectra. However, chemically enhanced peaks are prominent in the spectra due to the charge transfer across the metal-molecule interface through specific noncovalent interactions between the gold atoms and CB[7] or its guest molecule. We first investigated the selectively enhanced and greatly shifted C[double bond, length as m-dash]O peak of CB[7] in the SERS spectra. Based on the bias-dependent changes of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O peak, we found the gold-carbonyl interaction was strengthened by the positive bias applied to the GNE, resulting in stable CB[7] junctions. Next, we found the CB[7] junction could also be stabilized by the inclusion of a guest molecule amino-ferrocene, attributed to the interactions between gold adatoms and the cyclopentadienyl ring of the guest molecule. Because this interaction is sensitive to the orientation of the guest molecule in the cavity, we revealed the rotational motion of a guest molecule inside the CB[7] cavity based on the dynamic spectral changes of the cyclopentadienyl ring peak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushuang Ai
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China. and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China and Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA.
| | - Jianghao Zhou
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China. and Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA.
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA.
| | - Popular Pandey
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA.
| | - Simin Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China. and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China and Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Qiang Fu
- Jiangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Jiangxi, 344000, China
| | - Yichong Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China.
| | - Chengji Deng
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China.
| | - Shuai Chang
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China. and Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Feng Liang
- The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China. and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430081, China and Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Jin He
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA. and Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
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Guo J, Sesena Rubfiaro A, Lai Y, Moscoso J, Chen F, Liu Y, Wang X, He J. Dynamic single-cell intracellular pH sensing using a SERS-active nanopipette. Analyst 2020; 145:4852-4859. [PMID: 32542257 PMCID: PMC7425357 DOI: 10.1039/d0an00838a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Glass nanopipettes have shown promise for applications in single-cell manipulation, analysis, and imaging. In recent years, plasmonic nanopipettes have been developed to enable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) measurements for single-cell analysis. In this work, we developed a SERS-active nanopipette that can be used to perform long-term and reliable intracellular analysis of single living cells with minimal damage, which is achieved by optimizing the nanopipette geometry and the surface density of the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) layer at the nanopipette tip. To demonstrate its ability in single-cell analysis, we used the nanopipette for intracellular pH sensing. Intracellular pH (pHi) is vital to cells as it influences cell function and behavior and pathological conditions. The pH sensitivity was realized by simply modifying the AuNP layer with the pH reporter molecule 4-mercaptobenzoic acid. With a response time of less than 5 seconds, the pH sensing range is from 6.0 to 8.0 and the maximum sensitivity is 0.2 pH units. We monitored the pHi change of individual HeLa and fibroblast cells, triggered by the extracellular pH (pHe) change. The HeLa cancer cells can better resist pHe change and adapt to the weak acidic environment. Plasmonic nanopipettes can be further developed to monitor other intracellular biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Guo
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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