V. V. R. Sai

Novel U-bent fiber optic probe for localized surface plasmon resonance based biosensor.

The aim of this study is to develop an optical absorbance based biosensor suitable for wide scale use in resource-poor locales. A sensor for sensitive measurement of refractive index (RI) with the help of optical absorbance properties of gold nanoparticles (GNP) coupled to an efficient optical transducer in the form of a U-bent fiber optic probe is described. A U-bent probe was fabricated by a simple procedure. The absorbance due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of fiber-bound GNP was found to be linear to refractive index changes between 1.33 and 1.35. A U-bent probe of 200 microm diameter with a bend radius of 0.75 mm gave rise to a sensitivity of 35 DeltaA/RIU at 540 nm. The resolution of the sensor probe was 3.8x10(-5) RIU. Label-free biosensing was demonstrated using these probes with the help of IgG-anti IgG as bioreceptor-analyte pair.

Dendrimers in biosensors: Concept and applications

The performance of biosensors, i.e. the sensitivity, specificity, linearity, reusability, chemical stability, and reproducibility is critically dependent on the biofunctionalization of the sensor platform. The type(s) of linkers used for the immobilization of the capture probes and the exact immobilization protocol play a vital role in the overall performance of sensors. A variety of linker molecules have been used to biofunctionalize technologically important substrates (glass, gold, mica etc.). Amongst the different linkers, researchers have paid more attention to two dimensional architectures, e.g.silanes, polyaniline (PANI), alkanethiols, poly-L-lysine (PLL), etc. Despite extensive research and a large number of reports, researchers still face problems related to limited loading efficiency, limited accessibility of the probes, poor control over uniform spacing among the probes and a loss of functionality due to irregular orientation of the probes, all of which cause variability in the responses. Three dimensional gel based matrices have proved to be a better choice, except for the fact that the leaching of entrapped probe molecules has limited their use in developing sensor platforms. Taking into account the limitations of the two dimensional linker arrays and three dimensional gel matrices, supramolecular dendritic architectures have shown immense potential in designing and developing the sensor platforms. Dendrimers are well-defined, monodispersed, globular macromolecules constructed around a core unit. Different properties of dendrimers, i.e. their structural uniformity, globular shape, monodispersity, the existence of dendritic crevices, high functional group density, hydrophilicity, versatility to design dendrimer of different composition and their nanometric size can be exploited while developing high sensitivity biosensors. Researchers have demonstrated that these hyperbranched 3D molecules show enhanced sensitivity, reduced nonspecific binding, greater accessibility of the probe for the target analyte, high stability and low variability in their response. Hence, designing a sensor with a dendrimer as a linker is a successful approach to obtain superior sensor performance and minimize the overall cost of a sensor. In this article, we discuss various aspects of dendrimers from the point of view of sensor design, hoping that this review will excite more researchers into exploiting the exceptional properties of dendrimers in biosensor development.

Evanescent wave absorbance based fiber optic biosensor for label-free detection of E. coli at 280 nm wavelength

A novel label-free technique for the detection of pathogens based on evanescent wave absorbance (EWA) changes at 280 nm from a U-bent optical fiber sensor is demonstrated. Bending a decladded fiber into a U-shaped structure enhances the penetration depth of evanescent waves and hence sensitivity of the probe. We show that the enhanced EWA response from such U-bent probes, caused by the inherent optical absorbance properties of bacterial cells or biomolecules specifically bound to the sensor surface, can be exploited for the detection of pathogens. A portable optical set-up with a UV light emitting diode, a spectrometer and U-bent fiber optic probe of 200 μm core diameter, 0.75 mm bend radius and effective probe length of 1cm demonstrated an ability to detect less than 1000 cfu/ml.

Simple surface modification techniques for immobilization of biomolecules on SU-8

SU-8, an epoxy based negative photoresist polymer has found wide range of applications in the field of microfabrication based biosensors. SU-8 surfaces need to be modified in order to immobilize bioreceptors. We studied the possibility of grafting desired functional groups by means of simple chemical treatments under normal laboratory conditions. These chemical treatments involve the use of crosslinkers that are expected to react with epoxy groups or hydroxyl groups generated by acid/alkali treatment. Here, a comparison of the results obtained on surface modification using glycine and 11-mercapto undecanoic acid as crosslinkers is presented. Human Immunoglobin G (HIgG) was covalently immobilized to carboxylic acid on SU-8 surface using carbodiimide/succinimide chemistry. The activity of immobilized HIgG was verified by using fluorescence imaging of FITC tagged goat anti HIgG bound to the surface. Fluorescence imaging was used to determine the chemistry best suited to functionalize SU-8 surface for biosensor applications.

Emerging use of nanostructure films containing capped gold nanoparticles in biosensors

The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) property of gold nanoparticles (GNP) has been exploited in a variety of optical sensor configurations including solution-based bioassays, paper-based colorimetric detection, surface-confined nanoparticle film/array-based sensing, etc. Amongst these, gold nanostructured films are of great interest because of their high stability, good reproducibility, robustness, and cost-effectiveness. The inherent optical characteristics of GNP, are attributed to parameters like size and shape (eg, nanospheres, nanorods, nanostars), eg, LSPR spectral location sensitivity to the local environment, composition (eg, gold-silver or silica-gold nanoshells), sensing volume, mesospacing, and multiplexing. These properties allow sensor tunability, enabling enhanced sensitivity and better performance of these biosensors. Ultrasensitive biosensor designs were realized using gold nanostructured films fabricated by bottom-up as well as top-down approaches. In this review, we describe the past, present, and future trends in the development of GNP-LSPR-based sensors, concentrating on both design (fabrication) and application. In the process, we have discussed various combinations of GNP size and shape, substrate, and application domains.

Self-Assembled Monolayers of Thiols Adsorbed on Au/ZnO-Functionalized Silica Nanosprings: Photoelectron Spectroscopy-Analysis and Detection of Vaporized Explosives

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiols of L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, DL-thioctic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol, which have been selected for their propensity to interact with vaporized explosives, have been attached from solution onto gold decorated ZnO-coated nanosprings. X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS) have been used to investigate the surface electronic structure of the SAMs coated nanosprings. On the basis of XPS analysis, it has been determined that the packing densities of L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, DL-thioctic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol on gold (zinc oxide) are 5.42 × 10(14) (2.83 × 10(14)), 3.26 × 10(14) (2.54 × 10(14)), 9.50 × 10(13), 2.55 × 10(14) (1.12 × 10(14)), and 5.23 × 10(13) molecules/cm(2), respectively. A single S 2p core level doublet is observed for 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol, which is assigned to the S-Au bond. The S 2p core level for L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, and DL-thioctic acid consist of two doublets, where one is S-Au bond and the other is the S-Zn bond. Analysis of the C/S ratios agrees well with the stoichiometry of the respective thiols. UPS analysis shows that the hybridization of S 3p states and Au d-bands produces antibonding and bonding states, above and below the Au d-bands, which is characteristic of molecular chemisorption on Au nanoparticles. Gas sensors were constructed with thiolated nanosprings and their responsiveness to ammonium nitrate at 100-150 °C was tested. Nanosprings sensors functionalized with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 6-mercaptohexanol showed the strongest responses by a factor of 4 to 5 relative to the less responsive thiols. The response to ammonium nitrate can be correlated to the packing density and ordering of the SAMs.

Plasmonic Sandwich Immunoassay on Fiber Optic Sensor: Sensitivity Enhancement using Refractive Index Media

LSPR properties of bioconjugated gold nanoparticles are exploited in realizing evanescent wave absorbance based fiber optic sandwich immunosensor. In addition, a method to amplify the sensor response by about 2-5 times by using high refractive index medium around nanoparticle labels is demonstrated.