Close‐Packed Two‐Dimensional Silver Nanoparticle Arrays: Quadrupolar and Dipolar Surface Plasmon Resonance Coupling

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) ranging in size from 40 to 100 nm were prepared in high yield by using an improved seed‐mediated method. The homogeneous Ag NPs were used as building blocks for 2D assembled Ag NP arrays by using an oil/water interface. A close‐packed 2D array of Ag NPs was fabricated by using packing molecules (3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane) to control the interparticle spacing. The homogeneous 2D Ag NP array exhibited a strong quadrupolar cooperative plasmon mode resonance and a dipolar red‐shift relative to individual Ag NPs suspended in solution. A well‐arranged 2D Ag NP array was embedded in polydimethylsiloxane film and, with biaxial stretching to control the interparticle distance, concomitant variations of the quadrupolar and dipolar couplings were observed. As the interparticle distance increased, the intensity of the quadrupolar cooperative plasmon mode resonance decreased and dipolar coupling completely disappeared. The local electric field of the 2D Ag NP array was calculated by using finite difference time domain simulation and qualitatively showed agreement with the experimental measurements.     

A simple and sensitive assay of gallic acid based on localized surface plasmon resonance light scattering of silver nanoparticles through modified Tollens process

A simple, low toxic, sensitive strategy based on the localized surface plasmon resonance light scattering (LSPR-LS) properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is introduced for the detection of gallic acid (GA). It was found that the silver ammonium complex, [Ag(NH(3))(2)](+)(aq), could be reduced in the alkaline medium by GA at room temperature; this reaction formed dispersed AgNPs. Transmission electron microscopy analyses were performed to ascertain the formation of AgNPs. UV-visible spectra revealed the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption at 410 nm corresponding to the LSPR of AgNPs. On these basis, we could quantify the GA concentration in the range of 4 × 10(-7) - 5 × 10(-6) mol L(-1) in the optimized experimental conditions. This method was used for determining the concentration of GA in artificial samples with satisfactory results. The detailed mechanism underlying this special phenomenon was elucidated.     

TDDFT and CIS Studies of Optical Properties of Dimers of Silver Tetrahedra

The absorption spectra for dimers of Ag(4)(+2) and Ag(8) clusters at various interparticle distances are examined using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and configuration interaction singles (CIS) calculations. With TDDFT calculations employing the SAOP functional, minor peaks for Ag(4)(+2) and Ag(8) dimers appear as the interparticle distance decreases; these peaks are suggested to be charge transfer artifacts on the basis of CIS and TDDFT (CAM-B3LYP) calculations. The relationship of the absorption peak locations to the distance and orientation between T(d) Ag(20) dimers is also investigated. TDDFT calculations using the SAOP functional are used to determine excitation absorption spectra for eight different orientations of Ag(20) dimers. Although the Ag(20)T(d) monomer has a sharp peak, each dimer absorption spectrum is split due to lower symmetry. This splitting increases as the center of mass distance decreases. As the interparticle distance between the monomers decreases, the initially strong peaks decrease in intensity and red or blue shift depending on symmetry, while the minor peaks increase in intensity and red shift.     

Structural and optical characteristics of silver/poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) nanosystems synthesized by γ-irradiation

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized in situ by γ-irradiation using poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a capping agent. The concentration, molecular weight and the structure (crosslinked and interpenetrated network) of PVP were varied, in order to determine the influence of the capping agent in the radiolytic synthesis of the Ag/PVP nanosystems. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that AgNPs obtained from the solutions containing higher PVP concentration and higher molecular weight were spherical in shape, with narrow size distribution and a diameter of～6 nm, while slightly larger rod-shaped silver agglomerates, with bimodal nanoparticle size distribution and diameters of ～10 nm and ～20 nm were obtained from the solutions containing lower PVP concentration and lower molecular weight. Strong plasmon coupling and extending of plasmon resonance was observed by UV–vis spectroscopy, as a result of formation of nanorod-like agglomerates. Crosslinked and interpenetrated network did not affect the structure of synthesized AgNPs. Ag/PVP nanocomposite, in the form of thin film, was obtained by solvent evaporation from Ag/PVP colloid solution with 10 wt% of PVP, and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The interactions in Ag/PVP nanocomposite are shown to be the result of the coordination bonding between AgNPs and nitrogen from pyrrolidone ring of PVP. The optical properties of investigated Ag/PVP nanosystems, as measured by the values of optical band gap, E_g, are mainly the consequence of the interparticle distance as a result of the concentration and the structure of surrounding PVP macromolecules.     

Protoporphyrin IX‐Functionalized AgSiO2 Core–Shell Nanoparticles: Plasmonic Enhancement of Fluorescence and Singlet Oxygen Production

Metal‐enhanced processes arising from the coupling of a dye with metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely reported. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated these mechanisms from the viewpoint of dye fluorescence and photoactivity. Herein, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is grafted onto the surface of silver core silica shell NPs in order to investigate the effect of silver (Ag) localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on PpIX fluorescence and PpIX singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production. Using two Ag core sizes, we report a systematic study of these photophysical processes as a function of silica (SiO₂) spacer thickness, LSPR band position and excitation wavelength. The excitation of Ag NP LSPR, which overlaps the PpIX absorption band, leads to the concomitant enhancement of PpIX fluorescence and ¹O₂ production independently of the Ag core size, but in a more pronounced way for larger Ag cores. These enhancements result from the increase in the PpIX excitation rate through the LSPR excitation and decrease when the distance between PpIX and Ag NPs increases. A maximum fluorescence enhancement of up to 14‐fold, together with an increase in photogenerated ¹O₂ production of up to five times are obtained using 100 nm Ag cores coated with a 5 nm thick silica coating.     

A comparative analysis of localized and propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors: the binding of concanavalin a to a monosaccharide functionalized self-assembled monolayer

A comparative analysis of the properties of two optical biosensor platforms: (1) the propagating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a planar, thin film gold surface and (2) the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor based on surface confined Ag nanoparticles fabricated by nanosphere lithography (NSL) are presented. The binding of Concanavalin A (ConA) to mannose-functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) was chosen to highlight the similarities and differences between the responses of the real-time angle shift SPR and wavelength shift LSPR biosensors. During the association phase in the real-time binding studies, both SPR and LSPR sensors exhibited qualitatively similar signal vs time curves. However, in the dissociation phase, the SPR sensor showed an approximately 5 times greater loss of signal than the LSPR sensor. A comprehensive set of nonspecific binding studies demonstrated that this signal difference was not the consequence of greater nonspecific binding to the LSPR sensor but rather a systematic function of the Ag nanoparticle's nanoscale structure. Ag nanoparticles with larger aspect ratios showed larger dissociation phase responses than those with smaller aspect ratios. A theoretical analysis based on finite element electrodynamics demonstrates that this results from the characteristic decay length of the electromagnetic fields surrounding Ag nanoparticles being of comparable dimensions to the ConA molecules. Finally, an elementary (2 x 1) multiplexed version of an LSPR carbohydrate sensing chip to probe the simultaneous binding of ConA to mannose and galactose-functionalized SAMs has been demonstrated.     

Ag@SiO2纳米颗粒的制备及其在H2O2检测上的应用

利用柠檬酸三钠还原硝酸银制备了银纳米颗粒(AgNPs),然后通过氨水水解正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)的方法,在AgNPs上沉积SiO2,制备出以Ag为核,SiO2为壳的复合纳米颗粒(Ag@SiO2).调节TEOS用量,可以控制SiO2层的厚度.根据AgNPs的局域表面等离激元共振(LSPR)效应,将制得的Ag@SiO2颗粒用于H2O2的检测,检测下限为1μmol/L,并可以通过控制SiO2层的厚度方便地调节Ag@SiO2颗粒与H2O2反应的速率.与传统方法相比,具有简单、快速、成本低的优点.分别运用TEM、紫外-可见分光光度计对反应前后Ag@SiO2颗粒形貌及反应过程中其LSPR吸收的变化进行了表征.     

Nanoscale coupling of photons to vibrational excitation of Ag nanoparticle 2D array studied by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy

Scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) spectroscopy has been utilized to elucidate the luminescence phenomena of Ag nanoparticles capped with myristate (myristate-capped AgNP) and 2-methyl-1-propanethiolate (C(4)S-capped AgNP) on the dodecanethiol-precovered Au substrate. The STM imaging revealed that myristate-capped AgNPs form an ordered hexagonal array whereas C(4)S-capped AgNPs show imperfect ordering, indicating that a shorter alkyl chain of C(4)S-capped AgNP is not sufficient to form rigid interdigitation. It should be noted that such a nanoparticle ordering affects the luminescence properties of the Ag nanoparticle. We found that the STM-LE is only detected from the Ag nanoparticles forming the two-dimensional superlattice. This indicates that the STM-LE of the Ag nanoparticle is radiated via the collective excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spread over the Ag nanoparticles. Note that the STM-LE spectra of the Ag nanoparticles exhibit spike-like peaks superimposed on the broad light emission peak. Using Raman spectroscopy, we concluded that the spike-like structure appearing in the STM-LE spectra is associated with the vibrational excitation of the molecule embedded between Ag nanoparticles.     

SiO2/TiO2 Hollow Nanoparticles Decorated with Ag Nanoparticles: Enhanced Visible Light Absorption and Improved Light Scattering in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Hollow SiO₂/TiO₂ nanoparticles decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) of controlled size (Ag@HNPs) were fabricated in order to enhance visible‐light absorption and improve light scattering in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). They exhibited localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the LSPR effects were significantly influenced by the size of the Ag NPs. The absorption peak of the LSPR band dramatically increased with increasing Ag NP size. The LSPR of the large Ag NPs mainly increased the light absorption at short wavelengths, whereas the scattering from the SiO₂/TiO₂ HNPs improved the light absorption at long wavelengths. This enabled the working electrode to use the full solar spectrum. Furthermore, the SiO₂ layer thickness was adjusted to maximize the LSPR from the Ag NPs and avoid corrosion of the Ag NPs by the electrolyte. Importantly, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased from 7.1 % with purely TiO₂‐based DSSCs to 8.1 % with HNP‐based DSSCs, which is an approximately 12 % enhancement and can be attributed to greater light scattering. Furthermore, the PCEs of Ag@HNP‐based DSSCs were 11 % higher (8.1 vs. 9.0 %) than the bare‐HNP‐based DSSCs, which can be attributed to LSPR. Together, the PCE of Ag@HNP‐based DSSCs improved by a total of 27 %, from 7.1 to 9.0 %, due to these two effects. This comparative research will offer guidance in the design of multifunctional nanomaterials and the optimization of solar‐cell performance.     

Interaction of plasmon and molecular resonances for rhodamine 6G adsorbed on silver nanoparticles

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is a key optical property of metallic nanoparticles. The peak position of the LSPR for noble-metal nanoparticles is highly dependent upon the refractive index of the surrounding media and has therefore been used for chemical and biological sensing. In this work, we explore the influence of resonant adsorbates on the LSPR of bare Ag nanoparticles (lambda(max,bare)). Specifically, we study the effect of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorption on the nanoparticle plasmon resonance because of its importance in single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SMSERS). Understanding the coupling between the R6G molecular resonances and the nanoparticle plasmon resonances will provide further insights into the role of LSPR and molecular resonance in SMSERS. By tuning lambda(max,bare) through the visible wavelength region, the wavelength-dependent LSPR response of the Ag nanoparticles to R6G binding was monitored. Furthermore, the electronic transitions of R6G on Ag surface were studied by measuring the surface absorption spectrum of R6G on an Ag film. Surprisingly, three LSPR shift maxima are found, whereas the R6G absorption spectrum shows only two absorption features. Deconvolution of the R6G surface absorption spectra at different R6G concentrations indicates that R6G forms dimers on the metal surface. An electromagnetic model based on quasi-static (Gans) theory reveals that the LSPR shift features are associated with the absorption of R6G monomer and dimers. Electronic structure calculations of R6G under various conditions were performed to study the origin of the LSPR shift features. These calculations support the view that the R6G dimer formation is the most plausible cause for the complicated LSPR response. These findings show the extreme sensitivity of LSPR in elucidating the detailed electronic structure of a resonant adsorbate.     

Ag@SiO2纳米颗粒的制备及其在H2O2检测上的应用

利用柠檬酸三钠还原硝酸银制备了银纳米颗粒(AgNPs), 然后通过氨水水解正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)的方法, 在AgNPs上沉积SiO₂, 制备出以Ag为核, SiO₂为壳的复合纳米颗粒(Ag@SiO₂). 调节TEOS用量, 可以控制SiO₂层的厚度. 根据AgNPs的局域表面等离激元共振(LSPR)效应, 将制得的Ag@SiO₂颗粒用于H₂O₂的检测, 检测下限为1 μmol/L, 并可以通过控制SiO₂层的厚度方便地调节Ag@SiO₂颗粒与H₂O₂反应的速率. 与传统方法相比, 具有简单、快速、成本低的优点. 分别运用TEM、紫外-可见分光光度计对反应前后Ag@SiO₂颗粒形貌及反应过程中其LSPR吸收的变化进行了表征.     

局部表面等离子体共振可调的MoO3-x-TiO2纳米复合物用于提高可见光下光催化还原CO2的性能

利用太阳能光催化还原CO2和H2O到燃料和化学品是一条极具吸引力但又充满挑战性的转化途径.迄今为止,只有非常有限的光催化剂已经被报道可以在可见光照射下光催化还原CO2.局部表面等离子体共振(LSPR)现象可以被用作一种有效的开发可见光催化剂的策略.贵金属Au,Ag,Pt等的LSPR现象已经被较为广泛的研究,并应用于光催化、光热、气敏等多种领域.而低价态金属自掺杂的金属氧化物,如MoO3-x和WO3-x,也被证明具有LSPR现象,可用于开发更加廉价的可见光催化剂.本文通过简单的溶剂热法成功合成了低价态Mo自掺杂的MoO3-x纳米片催化剂,并在合成过程中原位加入TiO2纳米颗粒(TiO2-NP)和TiO2纳米棒(TiO2-NT),构建了MoO3-x-TiO2纳米复合物.电镜表征显示,MoO3-x-TiO2-NT纳米复合物中,MoO3-x纳米片和TiO2纳米管的结合更为紧密.UV-vis光谱显示,TiO2的复合不仅可以增强MoO3-x可见区的吸收强度,同时吸收峰的位置也发生了蓝移.XPS表征显示,TiO2复合后,MoO3-x中Mo5+的比例明显增加,从而提高了MoO3-x中自由电子的浓度,进而增强了LSPR现象和LSPR吸光能力,且TiO2纳米管相对TiO2纳米颗粒具有更好的促进效果.MoO3-x纳米片具有在可见光照射下光催化还原CO2的性能,CO的生成速率为2.8μmol g-1 h-1.复合TiO2纳米颗粒后,MoO3-x-TiO2-NP纳米复合物上,CO的生成速率提高到6.8μmol g-1 h-1.当复合TiO2纳米管时,光催化性能显著提高,在MoO3-x-TiO2-NT纳米复合物上,CO的生成速率可达12μmol g-1 h-1,约为MoO3-x纳米片的四倍,此外还可观测到CH4的生成.当我们将反应气氛由CO2替换成N2后,CO和CH4的生成量几乎为零,证明CO和CH4的生成主要来自CO2的光催化还原.此外,我们还考察了MoO3-x-TiO2-NT纳米复合物光催化还原CO2的催化性能稳定性,以12 h反应时间为一个循环,经3个循环反应后,催化剂的活性基本保持不变,证明该催化剂具有较好的稳定性.综上,我们通过MoO3-x纳米片和TiO2复合的策略,增强了MoO3-x纳米片的LSPR效应,提升了催化剂对可见光的吸收能力,进而提高了MoO3-x-TiO2-NT纳米复合物光催化还原CO2的性能.MoO3-x-TiO2-NT纳米复合物是一种具有发展潜力的光催化还原CO2的可见光催化剂,且该纳米复合物调变LSPR效应的策略还有望用于增强其他LSPR光催化材料的光催化性能.     

Measuring silver nanoparticle dissolution in complex biological and environmental matrices using UV-visible absorbance

Distinguishing the toxic effects of nanoparticles (NPs) themselves from the well-studied toxic effects of their ions is a critical but challenging measurement for nanotoxicity studies and regulation. This measurement is especially difficult for silver NPs (AgNPs) because in many relevant biological and environmental solutions, dissolved silver forms AgCl NPs or microparticles. Simulations predict that solid AgCl particles form at silver concentrations greater than 0.18 and 0.58 μg/mL in cell culture media and moderately hard reconstituted water (MHRW), respectively. The AgCl NPs are usually not easily separable from AgNPs. Therefore, common existing total silver techniques applied to measure AgNP dissolution, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or atomic absorption, cannot accurately measure the amount of silver remaining in AgNP form, as they cannot distinguish Ag oxidation states. In this work, we introduce a simple localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) UV–visible absorbance measurement as a technique to measure the amount of silver remaining in AgNP form for AgNPs with constant agglomeration states. Unlike other existing methods, this absorbance method can be used to measure the amount of silver remaining in AgNP form even in biological and environmental solutions containing chloride because AgCl NPs do not have an associated LSPR absorbance. In addition, no separation step is required to measure the dissolution of the AgNPs. After using ICP-MS to show that the area under the absorbance curve is an accurate measure of silver in AgNP state for unagglomerating AgNPs in non-chloride-containing media, the absorbance is used to measure dissolution rates of AgNPs with different polymer coatings in biological and environmental solutions. We find that the dissolution rate decreases at high AgNP concentrations, 5 kDa polyethylene glycol thiol coatings increase the dissolution rate, and the rate is much higher in cell culture media than in MHRW.     

静电组装金纳米粒子制备局域表面等离子体共振传感膜

采用聚电解质自组装技术制备局域表面等离子体共振(LSPR)传感膜的方法, 在玻璃基片上依次沉积聚电解质PDDA, PSS和PVTC, 并通过静电吸附构建胶体金纳米粒子自组装膜形成LSPR传感膜. 利用扫描电镜对LSPR传感膜表面形貌以及膜中金纳米粒子的粒径进行了表征, 同时通过紫外-可见消光光谱对其灵敏度和渗透深度等重要参数进行检测. 研究结果表明, 所制备的LSPR传感膜粒子分布均匀、单分散性好、稳定性高、重现性好; 消光峰位对样品溶液折射率的检测灵敏度为71 nm/RIU, 相应的峰强检测灵敏度为0.21 AU/RIU, 对表面吸附层的渗透深度约为16 nm.     

Synergy between Plasmonic and Electrocatalytic Activation of Methanol Oxidation on Palladium–Silver Alloy Nanotubes

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation of noble metal nanoparticles has been shown to accelerate and drive photochemical reactions. Here, LSPR excitation is shown to enhance the electrocatalysis of a fuel‐cell‐relevant reaction. The electrocatalyst consists of Pd_xAg alloy nanotubes (NTs), which combine the catalytic activity of Pd toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and the visible‐light plasmonic response of Ag. The alloy electrocatalyst exhibits enhanced MOR activity under LSPR excitation with significantly higher current densities and a shift to more positive potentials. The modulation of MOR activity is ascribed primarily to hot holes generated by LSPR excitation of the Pd_xAg NTs.     

Localized surface plasmon resonance nanosensor: a high-resolution distance-dependence study using atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to deposit 1-600 monolayers of Al(2)O(3) on Ag nanotriangles fabricated by nanosphere lithography (NSL). Each monolayer of Al(2)O(3) has a thickness of 1.1 A. It is demonstrated that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) nanosensor can detect Al(2)O(3) film growth with atomic spatial resolution normal to the nanoparticle surface. This is approximately 10 times greater spatial resolution than that in our previous long-range distance-dependence study using multilayer self-assembled monolayer shells. The use of ALD enables the study of both the long- and short-range distance dependence of the LSPR nanosensor in a single unified experiment. Ag nanoparticles with fixed in-plane widths and decreasing heights yield larger sensing distances. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and quartz crystal microbalance measurements are used to study the growth mechanism. It is proposed that the growth of Al(2)O(3) is initiated by the decomposition of trimethylaluminum on Ag. Semiquantitative theoretical calculations were compared with the experimental results and yield excellent agreement.     

三明治结构纳米银/氧化石墨烯基底的制备及SERS性能

采用易操作且低成本的静电自组装方法, 在质子化的玻璃基片上, 通过交替沉积氧化石墨烯(GO) 和带正电荷的银纳米粒子(AgNPs) 获得少数层GO和AgNPs复合薄膜(AgNPs/GO). 采用紫外-可见光吸收光谱、 原子力显微镜和扫描电子显微镜对复合薄膜的生长和表面形貌进行了表征. 结果表明, 通过调控AgNPs 溶胶浓度和自组装循环次数, 可以获得AgNPs/GO/AgNPs 的三明治结构, 并在基底表面形成均匀的AgNPs 聚集体. 表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)研究结果表明, AgNPs/GO-4基底具有最佳的SERS性能, 其对罗丹明6G(R6G) 和结晶紫的平均拉曼增强因子分别为3.4×10⁸和1.3×10⁹, 对R6G的最低检测浓度约为10^-12 mol/L. 多层三明治结构和较小颗粒间距使得AgNPs层之间产生强烈的耦合作用, 并在GO片层间产生大量的“热点”, 显著提高SERS性能, 而少数层GO具有强吸附性, 有利于分子在基底中富集, 从而起到化学增强作用, 提高SERS灵敏度.     

Gold nanoparticles generated through "green route" bind Hg2+ with a concomitant blue shift in plasmon absorption peak

We discuss here a quick, simple, economic and ecofriendly method through a completely green route for the selective detection of Hg(2+) in aqueous samples. Here we exploited the ability of chitosan to generate gold nanoparticles and subsequently to act as a stabilizer for the formed nanoparticles. When chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticles (CH-Au NPs) are interacted with Hg(2+) a blue shift for its localized surface plasmon resonance absorbance (LSPR) band is observed. The blue shift is reasoned to be due to the formation of a thin layer of mercury over gold. A concentration as low as 0.01 ppm to a maximum of 100 ppm Hg(2+) can be detected based on this blue shift of the CH-Au NPs. While all other reported methods demand complex reaction steps and costly chemicals, the method we reported here is a simple, rapid and selective approach for the detection of Hg(2+). Our results also show that the CH-Au NPs have excellent selectivity to Hg(2+) over common cations namely, Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Ag(1+), Ce(4+), Ni(2+), and Cu(2+).     

Multiplexed analysis of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions using oligonucletide-metal nanoparticle conjugates

A colorimetric assay has been developed for the simultaneous selective detection of silver(I) and mercury(II) ions utilizing metal nanoparticles (NPs) as sensing element based on their unique surface plasmon resonance properties. In this method, sulfhydryl group modified cytosine-(C)-rich ssDNA (SH-C-ssDNA) was self-assembled on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to produce the AuNPs-C-ssDNA complex, and sulfhydryl group modified thymine-(T)-rich ssDNA (SH-T-ssDNA) was self-assembled on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to produce the AgNPs-T-ssDNA complex. Oligonucleotides (SH-C-ssDNA or SH-T-ssDNA) could enhance the AuNPs or AgNPs against salt-induced aggregation. However, the presence of silver(I) ions (Ag(+)) in the complex of ssDNA-AuNPs would reduce the stability of AuNPs due to the formation of Ag(+) mediated C-Ag(+)-C base pairs accompanied with the AuNPs color change from red to purple or even to dark blue. Moreover, the presence of mercury(II) ions (Hg(2+)) would also reduce the stability of AgNPs due to the formation of Hg(2+) mediated T-Hg(2+)-T base pairs accompanied with the AgNPs color change from yellow to brown, then to dark purple. The presence of both Ag(+) and Hg(2+) will reduce the stability of both AuNPs and AgNPs and cause the visible color change. As a result, Ag(+) and Hg(2+) could be detected qualitatively and quantitatively by the naked eye or by UV-vis spectral measurement. The lowest detectable concentration of a 5 nM mixture of Ag(+) and Hg(2+) in the river water was gotten by the UV-vis spectral measurement.     

Ag纳米粒子修饰光纤探针在等离激元催化反应中的应用

本文发展了一种基于Ag纳米粒子(AgNPs)修饰的局域表面等离激元共振(LSPR)光纤探针,作为等离激元催化反应基底同时原位检测表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)信号,实现反应与检测一体化。本文使用(3-氨基丙基)三甲氧基硅烷(APTMS)分子将AgNPs组装到光纤探针表面。通过调控自组装时间,可形成AgNPs均匀分布的探针。以对巯基苯胺(PATP)作为反应的模型分子,获得了较好的等离激元催化及信号检测效果。在相同光源条件下,从光纤内部激发收集所得产物的SERS信号强度为外部激发收集的12.8倍,表明内激发收集方式在反应及信号检测方面具有优势;在一定浓度范围(10~(-4)–10~(-8)mol·L~(-1))内可用该光纤探针对PATP溶液进行定量分析;运用该光纤探针开展了等离激元催化PATP分子偶联反应的原位动力学研究。该LSPR光纤探针具有较高灵敏度,对样品损伤小,可在多场合下实现原位检测,且制备简便、成本较低。还有望结合近场扫描光学显微技术进一步对样品表面进行微区等离激元催化反应及检测并得到反应的二维分布图。