Síntese e caracterização de nanobastões e nanobipirâmides de Au para aplicação em biossensores plasmônicos

Abstract

This work was focused on the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for applying as LSPR (localized surface plasmon resonance) and SERS/SEF (surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy / surface enhanced fluorescence) based biosensors. AuNPs were synthesized in two different forms, nanorods (AuNRs) and nanobipyramids (AuNBs), controlling the growth of seeds by using surfactants. A better yield was obtained to AuNRs and therefore, only the sensitivity of these nanoparticles was evaluated either using the AuNRs in suspension or immobilized on glass slides. A monolayer of 3-mercaptopropylmetoxisilane was used as a linker between AuNPs and glass surface, and after the modified glass slides were characterized with UV-VIS spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. AuNRs surface was modified aiming the detection of two probe molecules: (1) streptavidin allowed by the bioafinity for biotin, using cysteamine as monolayer between AuNPs and biotin; (2) anti-BSA allowed by an antigen-antibody interaction activating the surface (previously modified with mercaptoundecanoic acid) with N-(3-dimetilaminopropil)-N′-etilcarbodiimide and N-hidroxisuccinimide. The LSPR sensitivity was evaluated by monitoring shifts in the longitudinal plasmon mode of AuNRs with changes in local refractive index due to surface binding events, reaching 297 nm RIU-1. SERS sensitivity was carried out in an extrinsic mode using a dye (IR-820) as SERS label on AuNRs surface. The biosensors developed in this work (AuNPs in suspension and adsorbed on glass slides) are efficient as biosensor as they presented good sensitivity for change in refractive index and for surface binding with probe molecules. The main advantages of these biosensors is the simple methodology summed to the short time of analysis. In addition, coupling the labeled AuNPs in suspension with the AuNPs adsorbed on glass slides is an interesting methodology for SERS/SEF detection of biomolecules.