A gold nanohole array based surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensor for detection of silver(I) and mercury(II) in human saliva
Researchers from West Virginia University have developed a method for detecting heavy metal ions in human saliva. Silver (I) (Ag) and mercury (II) (Hg) ions form part of dental fillings so it is important to have non-invasive analytical methods to monitor the toxicity of these metal ions should they be accidentally released into saliva.
Here, the authors exploited the strong electromagnetic coupling between gold (Au) nanostars and a Au nanohole array to detect Ag (I) and Hg (II) using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The Au nanostars and nanohole array were functionalised with mismatched pairs of single-stranded (ssDNA) probes that hybridise to form stable duplexes in the presence of the corresponding metal ions. Hybridisation allows the Au nanostars to come into close proximity with the Au nanohole array, which results in a large amplification of the SERS signal.
In this way, the authors were able to detect Ag (I) and Hg (II) ions in human saliva with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.17 nM and 2.3 pM for Ag (I) and Hg (II), respectively. This demonstrates the applicability of the SERS-based detection platform for on-site, non-invasive detection of analytes in body fluids.
A gold nanohole array based surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensor for detection of silver(I) and mercury(II) in human saliva
Peng Zheng, Ming Li, Richard Jurevic, Scott K. Cushing, Yuxin Liu and Nianqiang Wu
Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 11005-11012. DOI: 10.1039/C5NR02142A
Dr Lee Barrett is a guest web writer for the Nanoscale blog. Lee is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Molecular Nanometrology at the University of Strathclyde. His research is currently focused on the development of nanoparticle-based sensors and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Follow him on twitter @L_Bargie.
