(388p) Biosensing with Plasmonic Silver Nanoparticles

Flame synthesis is a facile, efficient and scalable method for nanoparticle production. Incorporating this technique for manufacturing of nanoparticle devices will not only ensure excellent control over the nanoparticle morphology, but also facilitate the spread of nanoparticle technologies. Directly depositing silver nanoparticles synthesized by flame-spray-pyrolysis onto a substrate allows for a myriad of potential applications, in particular a biosensing device based upon sliver’s plasmonic properties [1-3]. This project investigated silver nanoparticles [4], their corresponding directly deposited particle films and their potential as a biosensor. Silver co-oxidized with silica or alumina support and their corresponding silica coated counterparts were of primary interest. Varying the flame conditions, the weight fraction of silver to the support material as well as the silica coating thickness allowed for precise adjustment of the synthesized nanoparticles. The type of nanoparticles in addition to the direct deposition height above the nozzle and duration regulated the particle film morphology. Synthesizing and characterizing such particle films allowed one to determine basic correlations attributed to the particles and their films. The particle’s suitability to function as a biosensor was investigated by conducting flow cell studies and allowing for the adsorption of bovine serum albumin. The degree of adsorption could be determined through the shift of the particle film’s characteristic extinction spectra.

References:

[1]        Sotiriou, G. A., Hirt, A. M., Lozach, P. Y., Teleki, A., Krumeich, F. & Pratsinis, S. E. Hybrid, silica-coated, Janus-like plasmonic-magnetic nanoparticles. Chem. Mater. 23, 1985-1992 (2011).

[2]        Sotiriou, G. A. & Pratsinis, S. E. Engineering nanosilver as an antibacterial, biosensor and bioimaging material. Curr. Opin. Chem. Eng. 1, 3-10 (2011).

[3]        Sotiriou, G. A., Sannomiya, T., Teleki, A., Krumeich, F., Vörös, J. & Pratsinis, S. E. Non-toxic dry-coated nanosilver for plasmonic biosensors. Adv. Funct. Mater. 20, 4250-4257 (2010).

[4]        Sotiriou, G. A. & Pratsinis, S. E. Antibacterial activity of nanosilver ions and particles. Environ. Sci. Technol. 44, 5649-5654 (2010).