Real-time optofluidic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based on a graphene oxide/gold nanorod nanocomposite

Direct Laser Writing of SERS Hollow Fibers

We report the direct laser writing (DLW) of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) structures on the inner wall of a hollow fiber. Colloidal gold-silver alloy nanoparticles (Au-Ag ANPs) are firstly coated onto the inner wall of a hollow fiber. A green laser beam is focused through the outer surface of the hollow fiber to interact with colloidal Au-Ag ANPs so that they become melted and aggregated on the surface of the inner wall with strong adhesion. Such randomly distributed plasmonic nanostructures with high density and small gaps favor the SERS detection of low-concentration molecules in liquids flowing through the hollow fiber. Such a SERS device also supplies a three-dimensional microcavity for the interaction between excitation laser and the target molecules. The DLW system consists mainly of the flexible connection between the motor shaft and the hollow fiber, the program-controlled translation of the hollow fiber along its symmetric axis and rotation about the axis, as well as the mechanical design and the computer control system. This DLW technique enables high production, high stability, high reproducibility, high precision, and a high-flexibility fabrication of the hollow fiber SERS device. The resultant microcavity SERS scheme enables the high-sensitivity detection of R6G molecules in ethanol with a concentration of 10-7 mol/L.

Plasmonic hollow fibers with distributed inner-wall hotspots for direct SERS detection of flowing liquids

Plasmonic hollow fibers are fabricated by coating silver-/ gold-alloyed nanoparticles (Ag-Au-ANPs) onto the inner walls of hollow fibers. In this Letter, the Ag-Au-ANPs were synthesized chemically and dissolved in acetone to prepare a colloidal solution, flowed subsequently through the hollow fiber multiple times so that a thin layer of colloidal Ag-Au-ANPs was produced on the inner wall. Annealing at 400°C enabled melting/aggregation of the metallic nanoparticles and consequent formation of closely arranged plasmonic nanostructures fixed solidly on the inner wall. A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mechanism was thus established for the liquids flowing through the hollows. The SERS measurements show an enhancement factor >10⁴ for such plasmonic hollow fibers in the direct detection of R6G/ethanol solutions. Confinement of the excitation laser energy inside the hollow space represents an additional contribution to the enhancement mechanism. This is a promising design for the direct on-site SERS detection of molecules in flowing liquids with low concentrations.

Effects of Small Molecules on DNA Adsorption by Gold Nanoparticles and a Case Study of Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP)

DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) often encounter various small molecules and ions such as backfilling agents, bifunctional cross-linkers, stabilizers, and molecules from biological fluids both during and after the DNA conjugation process. Small molecules and ions can influence the stability and property of the conjugate, but such interactions are yet to be fully explored. In this work, eight important molecules were studied and compared, including tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP), 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (SPDP), 4-maleimidobutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (GMBS), 6-hydroxy-1-hexanethiol (MCH), l-glutathione (GSH), bromide (Br^-), bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine (BSPP), and thiocyanate (SCN^-). Depending on the size, charge, and adsorption affinity on the AuNPs, they can either stabilize or destabilize the AuNPs. Their ability to displace thiolated DNA from AuNPs follows the order of MCH > SPDP > GSH > SCN^- > TCEP > Br^- > BSPP > GMBS. BSPP has the best stabilization effect for the colloidal stability of AuNPs, while it does not displace the adsorbed DNA. TCEP can be adsorbed on AuNPs and enhance the adsorption of A/C rich DNA in low-salt conditions. This work indicates that the effects of small molecules and ions cannot be ignored when studying the DNA-functionalized AuNPs, which ensures optimal applications and correct interpretation of the data.

Inline integration of offset MMF-capillary-MMF structure as a portable and compact fiber-optic surface-enhanced Raman scattering microfluidic chip

A novel fiber-optic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microfluidic chip integrated with an embedded Raman probe is presented and demonstrated. The Raman probe consists of the offset-multimode-fiber (MMF)-capillary-MMF (OMCM) structure and SERS substrate. The probe is embedded in the microfluidic channel to form a compact and portable chip. The chip is employed with a fiber coupler in an all-fiber detection system, which has a good stability compared to the free space focusing by the conventional confocal Raman microscope. The excitation light transmits from both ends of the OMCM probe into the capillary, and the generated Raman scattered signals are collected by two MMFs simultaneously. Experimental results of the Rhodamine 6G (R6G) detection show that the Raman signal intensity increases in a linear pattern at ∼1509  cm^-1 with the increase of R6G concentrations. This kind of chip is compact, integrated, and miniaturized for the Raman signal detection. Furthermore, it can be fabricated easily in large quantities at cost, rendering promising applications.