Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) holds great promise in biosensing because of its single-molecule, label-free sensitivity. We describe here the use of a graphene-gold hybrid plasmonic platform that enables quantitative SERS measurement. Quantification is enabled by normalizing analyte peak intensities to that of the graphene G peak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge-scale close-packed two-dimensional (2D) colloidal crystal with high coverage is indispensable for various promising applications. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method is a powerful technique to prepare 2D colloidal crystals. However, the self-assembly and movement of microspheres during the whole LB process are less analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe orientation dependence of the Raman spectral features of individual protein/biomolecules is studied using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Large variation in spectral features mainly in term of peak intensity is observed from small proteins/peptides. We aim to address the question of whether the spectral features of SERS are uniquely determined by the type of protein/molecules or are influenced prominently by factors more than the identity of the molecules such as orientation of molecules relative to the substrate surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is used to differentiate two colon cancer cell line HCT 116, that is, to distinguish a TP53 gene knockout cell line (p53 -/-) from a wild type (p53 +/+). A label-free graphene/gold nanopyramid based SERS platform, combined with the multivariate analysis: principal component analysis, is used to profile live, dead, and burst colon cancer cells suspended in simulated body fluid (SBF). The graphene sheet permits SERS hotspot identification and provides a chemical enhancement for the biological constituents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA strongly confined and enhanced electromagnetic (EM) field due to gap-plasmon resonance offers a promising pathway for ultrasensitive molecular detections. However, the maximum enhanced portion of the EM field is commonly concentrated within the dielectric gap medium that is inaccessible to external substances, making it extremely challenging for achieving single-molecular level detection sensitivity. Here, a new family of plasmonic nanostructure created through a unique process using nanoimprint lithography is introduced, which enables the precise tailoring of the gap plasmons to realize the enhanced field spilling to free space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyloid β-protein (Aβ) self-association is one process linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ peptides, including its most abundant forms, Aβ40 and Aβ42, are associated with the two predominant neuropathologic findings in AD, vascular and parenchymal amyloidosis, respectively. Efforts to develop therapies for AD often have focused on understanding and controlling the assembly of these two peptides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMammalian tissues calcify with age and injury. Analogous to bone formation, osteogenic cells are thought to be recruited to the affected tissue and induce mineralization. In the heart, calcification of cardiac muscle leads to conduction system disturbances and is one of the most common pathologies underlying heart blocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltrasensitive detection and spatially resolved mapping of neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, are critical to facilitate understanding brain functions and investigate the information processing in neural networks. In this work, we demonstrated single molecule detection of dopamine and serotonin using a graphene-Au nanopyramid heterostructure platform. The quasi-periodic Au structure boosts high-density and high-homogeneity hotspots resulting in ultrahigh sensitivity with a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) enhancement factor ∼10(10).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA graphene-Au nano-pyramid hybrid system that enables label-free single molecule detection is demonstrated. The bio-compatible graphene-based SERS platform boosts a high density of hot spots with local SERS enhancement factor over 10(10) . We demonstrate that graphene can play a key role in quantitative study of SERS mechanisms, and can also serve as a promising building block in SERS active structures especially for biosensor applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe unique properties of graphene when coupled to plasmonic surfaces render a very interesting physical system with intriguing responses to stimuli such as photons. It promises exciting application potentials such as photodetectors as well as biosensing. With its semimetallic band structure, graphene in the vicinity of metallic nanostructures is expected to lead to non-negligible perturbation of the local distribution of electromagnetic field intensity, an interesting plasmonic resonance process that has not been studied to a sufficient extent.
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