Single gold nanowire-nanoparticles conjugated system: Fabrication and sensing application

Single-entity-based sensing platform has many advantages for real-time assays, such as single-molecule analysis, or targets detection in confined environment. In this contribution, a new single Au nanowire (NW) – Au@Pt/Au nanoparticles (Au@Pt/Au NPs) conjugated system was established and used for the detection of thrombin by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique. This method was mainly based on electrostatic attraction between the capture (thrombin aptamer) and probe molecules (crystal violet, CV) on the surface of Au NW - Au@Pt/Au NPs conjugation, reducing the adsorption of CV molecules on conjugation surface, and resulting the decrease of SERS signals. The addition of thrombin could bind with thrombin aptamer due to specific interaction, leading to the decrease of electrostatic effect from thrombin aptamer for CV diffusion to conjugation surface, and the SERS signals could be recovered. This thrombin sensing method showed high sensitivity and selectivity, and the linear range for thrombin assay was 0.01 nM–100 nM with a detection limit of 1.35 pM. This single Au NW - Au@Pt/Au NPs conjugation has more SERS hotspots and small overall size, which offers unparalleled advantages over other sensing system and can be applicable for real time analysis, especially at single molecule/cell level.