Fabrication of Bioprobe Self-Assembled on Au–Te Nanoworm Structure for SERS Biosensor

Abstract

In the present study, we propose a novel biosensor platform using a gold-tellurium (Au–Te) nanoworm structure through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Au–Tenanoworm was synthesized by spontaneous galvanic replacement of sacrificial Te nanorods templated with Au (III) cations under ambient conditions. The fabricated Au–Te nanoworm exhibited an interconnected structure of small spherical nanoparticles and was found to be effective at enhancing Raman scattering. The Au–Te nanoworm-immobilized substrate exhibited the ability to detect thyroxine using an aptamer-tagged DNA three-way junction (3WJ) and glycoprotein 120 (GP120) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using an antibody. The modified substrates were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optimal Au–Te nanoworm concentration and immobilization time for the thyroxine biosensor platform were further determined by SERS experimentation. Thus, the present study showed that the Au–Te nanoworm structure could be applied to various biosensor platforms.

Advances of nanoworms in diagnosis, treatment, and theranostics

“…1 shows the different types of nanocarriers for targeting drugs in the body. NWs are a type of nanomaterial characterized by elongated cylindrical structures measuring 30 nm in diameter and are composed of a variety of different materials, including metals, 5,6 polymers, 7,8 and biological molecules. 9,10 NWs are used as templates for inorganic NPs, superstructure building blocks, synthetic dendritic cells for immunotherapy, temperature-responsive gels for medical use, and traditional nanocarriers for drug delivery.…”

Recent Advances of Optical Sensors for Copper Ion Detection

“…Optical sensors have countlessly subdivided according to the change in the signal resulting from the interaction between the recognition element and target molecule. The subdivisions are refractive index, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, infrared spectrum, colorimetric, and Raman spectra [55][56][57][58][59][60]. Nowadays, optical sensors have proceeded to develop in many applications including food safety [61], virus detection [62], cancer diagnosis [63,64], cardiac biomarkers detection [65], environmental monitoring [66], DNA sensing [67], and blood glucose monitoring [68].…”

Thyroxine Quantification by Using Plasmonic Nanoparticles as SERS Substrates

“…By using Au NPs of about 37 nm in diameter, estradiol (limit of detection, LOD, of 2.4 pM) and TSH (LOD of 33 µM) hormones have been studied; see [31,32] for details, respectively. S. M. Kim and colleagues reported the detection of T4 with Au-tellurium earthworm-like structures, yet a LOD value was not indicated [33].…”