基于金银合金薄膜的波长检测型表面等离子体共振传感器

从实验和理论两方面详细研究了金银合金膜表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感器在可见光波段的敏感特性.实验方面,通过在玻璃基底上溅射50 nm厚的金银合金薄膜制备了一种新型的SPR传感芯片,并且自行搭建了基于Kretschmann结构的波长检测型SPR传感器测试平台.利用不同浓度的氯化钠(NaCl)水溶液和浓度为10μmol·L-1的牛血清蛋白(BSA)水溶液分别作为折射率样品和分子吸附样品,研究了传感器的折射率灵敏度和吸附灵敏度,并与金膜和银膜SPR传感器进行了对比研究.结果表明,对于折射率灵敏度的测试,金银合金膜SPR传感器大幅高于金膜SPR传感器,略低于银膜SPR传感器;而对于吸附敏感的研究,金银合金膜SPR传感器的灵敏度与银膜SPR传感器相近,是金膜SPR传感器的3倍.理论方面,利用菲涅尔公式和等效折射率计算公式仿真计算了这三种薄膜结构的SPR传感器的灵敏度和精确度,结果指出金银合金膜SPR传感器的灵敏度与银膜SPR传感器接近,是常规金膜SPR传感器的2.31倍,而半高峰宽仅为金膜和银膜SPR传感器的1.36倍.在稳定性方面,金银合金膜SPR传感器与金膜SPR传感器均具有良好的化学稳定性,而银膜SPR传感器较易氧化,使用寿命低,不常被采用.综上,金银合金膜在改善传感器灵敏度的同时,不会降低精度,是一种高灵敏、低成本、良好稳定性的SPR传感器敏感材料.     

基于金银合金薄膜的高灵敏度宽光谱表面等离子体共振成像传感器

报道了一种基于金银合金薄膜的宽光谱表面等离子体共振成像(SPRI)传感器,该传感器能够对吸附在薄膜局部或整个表面上的生化分子进行原位定量检测,而且与常规的金膜SPRI传感器相比,检测成本更低,检测灵敏度更高。利用质量比1:1的金银合金溅射靶在玻璃基板上淀积了厚约50 nm的均匀的金银合金薄膜。利用实验室自制的Krestchmann结构多功能平台在不同入射角下测试了金银合金薄膜被纯水覆盖后的SPR光谱和SPR彩色图像。基于色相算法计算获得了每个SPR彩像的二维色相分布及其平均色相,从而使得宽光谱SPRI传感器能够利用平均色相作为灵敏度参数进行定量检测。实验确定了平均色相对溶液折射率(RI)变化和分子吸附最为敏感的光谱区间是595–610 nm之间。在这个窄光谱范围内,平均色相与共振波长呈线性关系,其斜率为?hue/?λR=7.52 nm~(-1),这意味着基于色相的RI灵敏度是基于共振波长的RI灵敏度的7.52倍,这一结论已被实验证明。将SPRI传感器的起始共振波长设定在色相敏感光谱区间内之后,实验测得基于色相的RI灵敏度为S=29879 RIU~(-1),比在相同条件下测得的金膜SPRI的灵敏度高8倍。利用时间分辨宽光谱SPRI方法实时监测了牛血清白蛋白(BSA)分子在金银合金薄膜表面的非特异性吸附,从实验测得的平均色相随时间的变化曲线可知BSA吸附达到平衡所需时间约15 min。研究结果表明,基于金银合金薄膜的SPRI传感器具有动态定量检测蛋白质分子吸附过程的功能。     

TiO_2纳米多孔薄膜漏模光波导共振传感器研究小分子的光谱灵敏度

在玻璃基片上溅射约50nm厚的金膜,在掺有P123聚合物的TiO2胶体溶液中浸渍提拉基片,经高温热处理后获得厚度约为210nm的TiO2纳米多孔薄膜。以此双层膜为漏模光波导芯片,并结合卤钨灯光源、CCD光谱仪、棱镜耦合器以及流动测试槽构建了基于Kretschmann结构的光谱测量式漏模光波导共振传感器。以非吸附型蔗糖水溶液为折射率液体,测试了传感器的折射率灵敏度。结果表明,在给定溶液折射率范围(1.3330～1.3557)内,漏模光波导共振波长随着折射率的升高而线形增大。以离子型表面活性剂和溴百里酚蓝为小分子吸附质,考察了传感器对小分子吸附的响应特性。结果表明,与只有一层金膜的SPR传感器相比,多孔薄膜漏模传感器对小分子吸附质的灵敏度大幅提高,这由于小分子在TiO2多孔薄膜导波层内的大量吸附。     

纳米多孔金薄膜的表面等离子体共振传感特性

对淀积在玻璃衬底上厚度约60 nm的金银合金溅射薄膜进行硝酸腐蚀脱银处理, 得到纳米多孔金薄膜. 利用自建的波长检测型表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感装置研究了腐蚀时间对纳米多孔金薄膜SPR特性的影响, 结果发现纳米多孔金薄膜与水溶液接触后在400-900 nm光谱范围内不具有SPR效应, 而当薄膜置于空气中时会产生明显的传播等离子体共振吸收峰, 其共振波长随腐蚀时间增加逐渐红移. 纳米多孔金薄膜在空气气氛中的SPR效应使其能够用于原位监测气相分子在孔内的吸附, 还可对在液相中吸附的生化分子进行离位测试. 本文对L-谷胱甘肽、L-半胱氨酸、2-氨基乙硫醇三种含巯基的生化小分子在纳米多孔金薄膜内的吸附进行了离位分析, 结果表明与传统的致密金薄膜SPR芯片比较, 纳米多孔金薄膜对这些分子显示出更高的灵敏度和更低的检测下限, 这归功于多孔金的大比表面积使其能够吸附大量的生化小分子. 实验还对乙醇蒸气在纳米多孔金薄膜内的吸附进行了原位监测, 发现吸附平衡所用时间较长, 约为160 min.     

基于Kretschmann结构的金银合金薄膜的SERS效应

利用Kretschmann棱镜耦合结构和532 nm激光光源,测试了金银合金薄膜的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)效应,并与纯金薄膜的测试结果进行了比较.结果显示,在激发光为p偏振态且入射角近似等于表面等离子体共振(SPR)角时,附着于金银合金薄膜表面的Nile Blue分子的SERS信号达到最强,比利用纯金薄膜测得的SERS信号高约2倍.实验结果还表明,在金银合金薄膜表面自组装金纳米粒子后,Nile Blue吸附层的SERS信号比自组装纳米金之前测得的信号增强了至少3倍,比利用纳米金修饰的纯金薄膜测得的信号高出2倍多.在棱镜底面沿薄膜法线收集的SERS信号是完全非偏振光,而从棱镜侧面收集的SERS信号是p偏振光,是拉曼光借助SPR效应产生的定向发射.     

SiO2介孔薄膜修饰的红外表面等离子体共振传感器在波长测量模式下的特性研究

分别利用射频溅射法和溶胶-凝胶模板法,在玻璃基板上制备45nm厚的金膜和45 nm厚的SiO2介孔薄膜,用作表面等离子体共振(SPR)芯片,然后基于Kretschmann结构和共振波长测量模式构建了近红外SPR传感器.实验表明,在宽带平行光入射条件下,随着入射角度(θ)的减小,共振波长(λR)红移,折射率灵敏度(S=ΔλR/n)迅速提高.在θ=8°时测得的折射率灵敏度为24241 nm/RIU,是θ=15°所对应的灵敏度(2524.2 nm/RIU)的9.6倍.与常规的裸金SPR传感器相比,在相同的共振波长下,SiO2介孔薄膜修饰层使得SPR共振吸收峰明显变窄,光谱分辨率升高.低浓度溶菌酶水溶液在θ=10°时测得的SPR近红外共振波长随溶菌酶浓度增大而线性红移,其斜率为ΔλR/C=1.5×107nm· L/mol,即溶菌酶浓度增加6.67×10-8 mol/L能够导致共振波长红移1nm.1×10-7 mol/L Cu2+溶液可使SPR共振波长红移3nm.     

表面等离子体激元共振光化学传感器的研究

自行设计并组装了一套全波长表面等离子体激元共振光化学传感器实验装置;研究了以银膜为基底的传感器的稳定性、可逆性及干扰情况;在575nm波长处,测定乙醇的灵敏度为4.6×10^-4折射率单位,RSD≤1.4%,定量测定范围为0.5%～70%.分析了一些实际样品,结果与标准方法的测定值相吻合.     

基于色相算法的表面等离子体共振成像传感器对苯并芘的敏感特性

报道了一种用于原位探测水中苯并芘的彩色表面等离子体共振成像(SPRI)传感器,该传感器既能提供直观的图像信息,又能借助色相算法定量分析待测物质的浓度及其吸附/脱附过程。首先利用自制的波长-图像同步检测型SPR传感器测试了裸金薄膜芯片在不同入射角下的共振波长和共振图像,然后利用色相算法建立了SPR共振波长与图像色相的依赖关系,基于该依赖关系获得了SPR传感器最佳色相灵敏度对应的起始共振波长约为650 nm;另一方面,制备了聚四氟乙烯涂覆的SPR传感芯片,基于聚四氟乙烯膜对水中苯并芘的可逆富集作用实现了苯并芘的原位快速探测。实验取得以下4个结果:(1)在20-100 nmol?L-1浓度范围内彩色SPR图像的平均色相值随着苯并芘浓度的升高线性减小;(2)对100 nmol?L-1的苯并芘的响应和恢复时间分别约为7和5 s;(3)由于聚四氟乙烯膜的厚度大于SPR消逝场穿透深度,检测结果不受溶液折射率影响;(4)在聚四氟乙烯敏感膜厚度较小且不均匀的情况下,传感器容许获取敏感膜的不同厚度区域对苯并芘的色相灵敏度。实验结果有力地证明了这种彩色SPR图像传感器在生化物质检测中具有良好的应用前景。     

光纤SPR传感器的结构、膜材与应用进展

光纤表面等离子共振(Fiber optic surface plasmon resonance,FO-SPR)传感器由于体积小、易携带、抗电磁干扰等优点在生物、化学、医学及食品领域均具有广阔的应用前景。该文综述了光纤SPR传感器的结构、膜材料及其应用进展。其中终端反射式和在线传输式是光纤SPR传感器最重要的两种结构;最常用的膜材料包括金膜、银膜、复合膜和金属纳米颗粒。基于光纤SPR的实时检测、抗干扰能力强、可多通道检测等特点展望了其未来发展与应用前景。     

反射式光纤银膜SPR传感器的湿法构建及应用

采用银镜反应湿法制备了反射式光纤表面等离子体共振(Surface plasmon resonance,SPR)传感器,并结合多巴胺自聚合功能对光纤表面银膜进行快速生物功能化修饰,实现了抗体抗原相互结合的在线监测。通过自行搭建SPR仪器,考察了传感区长度的影响,跟踪测定了传感器各个修饰步骤后SPR信号的变化。测试结果表明,该法制备的光纤SPR传感器具有很高的灵敏度。随着传感区长度的增加,基于SPR峰位的检测灵敏度随之增大,而基于SPR峰强的检测灵敏度无明显变化。当传感区长度为1.5 cm时,基于SPR峰位对蔗糖溶液折射率的检测灵敏度为4 166 nm/RIU,而基于SPR峰强的检测灵敏度为99%/RIU。进一步利用该传感器监测了Ig G的连接过程、Ig G抗体-抗原的相互结合过程,结果显示其可应用于生物传感检测领域。     

Electrochemical Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy at Bilayered Silver/Gold Films

Bilayered silver/gold films (gold deposited on top of the silver film) were used as substrates for electrochemical surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (EC-SPR). EC-SPR responses of electrochemical deposition/stripping of copper and redox-induced conformation changes of cytochrome c immobilized onto self-assembled monolayers preformed at these substrates were measured. Influence of the Ag layer thickness and the double-layer capacitance on the EC-SPR behavior was investigated. The results demonstrated that the bilayered Ag/Au metal films produce a sharper SPR dip profile than pure Au films and retain the high chemical stability of Au films. Contrary to the result by the Fresnel calculation that predicts a greater fraction of Ag in the bilayered film should result in a greater signal-to-noise ratio, the EC-SPR sensitivity is dependent on both the Ag/Au thickness ratio and the chemical modification of the surface. Factors affecting the overall SPR sensitivity at the bilayered films, such as the film morphology, potential-induced excess surface charges, and the adsorbate layer were investigated. Forming a compact adsorbate layer at the bilayered film diminishes the effect of potential-induce excess surface charges on the SPR signal and improves the overall EC-SPR sensitivity. For the case of redox-induced conformation changes of cytochrome c, the SPR signal obtained at the bilayered silver/gold film is 2.7 times as high as that at a pure gold film.     

EOT or Kretschmann configuration? Comparative study of the plasmonic modes in gold nanohole arrays

The debate is still ongoing on the optimal mode of interrogation for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors. Comparative studies previously demonstrated that nanoparticles exhibiting a localized SPR (LSPR) have superior sensitivity to molecular adsorption processes while thin Au film-based propagating SPR is more sensitive to bulk refractive index. In this paper, it is demonstrated that nanohole arrays (1000 nm periodicity, 600 nm diameter and 125 nm depth), which support both LSPR and propagating SPR modes, exhibited superior sensitivity to bulk refractive index and improved detection limits for IgG sensing by using the Kretschmann configuration. The greater sensitivity to IgG detection in the Kretschmann configuration was obtained despite the shorter penetration depth of nanohole arrays excited in the enhanced optical transmission (EOT) configuration. The decay length of the electromagnetic field in EOT mode was estimated to be approximately 140 nm using a layer-by-layer deposition technique of polyelectrolytes (PAH and PSS) and was confirmed with 3D FDTD simulations, which was lengthen by almost a factor of two in the Kretschmann configuration. Spectroscopic data and field depth were correlated with RCWA and FDTD simulations, which were in good agreement with the experimental results. Considering these analytical parameters, it is advantageous to develop sensors based on nanohole arrays in the Kretschmann configuration of SPR.     

Sensitivity enhancement of SPR biosensor with silver mirror reaction on the Ag/Au film

Based on well-known silver mirror reaction the Ag film was formed on Au film modified by self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT). The sensitivity of the biosensor based on this Ag/Au film is enhanced compared to that based on Au film. When the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on this Ag/Au film was used to determine human IgG, the range of concentrations of human IgG that could be determined is 0.30-40.00 μg mL⁻¹. The lowest concentration (0.30 μg mL⁻¹) that could be detected was about 8 times lower than that obtained by the biosensor without modification by Ag film (2.50 μg mL⁻¹), which demonstrated that the biosensor based on Ag/Au film could make the resonant wavelength move to longer wavelength following with the sensitivity enhancement of the SPR biosensor.     

Au NPs-aptamer conjugates as a powerful competitive reagent for ultrasensitive detection of small molecules by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy

Features of Au NPs-aptamer conjugates as a powerful competitive reagent to substitute antibody in enhancing surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) signal for the detection of small molecule are explored for the first time. In order to evaluate the sensing ability of Au NPs-aptamer conjugates as a competitive reagent, a novel SPR sensor based on indirect competitive inhibition assay (ICIA) for the detection of adenosine is constructed by employing the competitive reaction between antiadenosine aptamer with adenosine and antiadenosine aptamer with its partial complementary ss-DNA. The partial complementary ss-DNA of antiadenosine aptamer is firstly immobilized on SPR gold film as sensing surface. When the Au NPs-antiadenosine aptamer conjugates solution is added to SPR cell in the absence of adenosine, Au NPs-antiadenosine aptamer conjugates is adsorbed to SPR sensor by the DNA hybridization reaction, and results in a large change of SPR signal. However, the change of SPR signal is decreased when the mixing solution of adenosine with Au NPs-antiadenosine aptamer conjugates is added. This is because adenosine reacts with antiadenosine aptamer in Au NPs-antiadenosine aptamer conjugates and changes its structure from ss-DNA to tertiary structure, which cannot hybridize with its partial complementary ss-DNA immobilized on SPR gold surface. Based on this principle, a SPR sensor for indirect detection of adenosine can be developed. The experimental results confirm that the SPR sensor possesses a good sensitivity and a high selectivity for adenosine, which indirectly confirms that Au NPs-aptamer conjugates is a powerful competitive reagent. More significantly, it can be used to develop other SPR sensors based on ICIA to detect different targets by changing the corresponding type of aptamer in Au NPs-aptamer conjugates.     

Fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance for vapor phase analyses

Fiber-optic sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for direct refractive index (RI) measurements of samples with the RI between 1.00 and 1.30 are described. Most applications of SPR sensors are designed to function near the refractive index of water (1.3330 RI). The RI changes of aqueous solution (RI, ca. 1.34) can easily be monitored by silica-fiber (RI, 1.4601 at 550 nm) based SPR sensor. With regard to gas species detection, the fiber-optic SPR sensor must be modified for sensitivity to changes in refractive index near 1.0008 (i.e., RI of air). However, the silica waveguide has a prohibitively high RI for unmodified monitoring of the RI changes of gas. The silica-fiber based SPR probe design presented here is based upon the modification of the probe geometry to the ability to tune the SPR coupling wavelength/angle pair. In this study, the tapered silica-based fiber SPR sensors are shown to directly determine the RI changes of gas species and the density change of dry air.     

Preparation of refractive index matching polymer film alternative to oil for use in a portable surface-plasmon resonance phenomenon-based chemical sensor method

In order to simplify the procedure for assembling a surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, a refractive index matching polymer film was prepared as an alternative to the conventionally used matching oil. The refractive index matching polymer film, the refractive index of which was nearly equal to the prism and sensor chip material (a cover glass) of the SPR sensor, was prepared by casting a tetrahydrofuran solution of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) containing equal weights of dioctyl phthalate and tricresyl phosphate. The refractive index matching polymer film was found to have a refractive index of 1.516, which is identical to that of the prism and the cover glass used for the present SPR sensor. The utility of the matching polymer film for the SPR sensor was confirmed by the detection of anti-human albumin, based on an antigen-antibody reaction.