Showing papers by "Sebastian Schlücker published in 2013"

Label-Free SERS Monitoring of Chemical Reactions Catalyzed by Small Gold Nanoparticles Using 3D Plasmonic Superstructures

Abstract: Label-free in situ surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) monitoring of reactions catalyzed by small gold nanoparticles using rationally designed plasmonic superstructures is presented. Catalytic and SERS activities are integrated into a single bifunctional 3D superstructure comprising small gold satellites self-assembled onto a large shell-isolated gold core, which eliminates photocatalytic side reactions.

Medical applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Abstract: This perspective article provides an overview of selected medical applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), highlighting recent developments and trends. The use of SERS for detection, analysis and imaging has attracted great interest in the past decade owing to its high sensitivity and molecular fingerprint specificity. SERS can deliver chemical and structural information from analytes rapidly and nondestructively in a label-free manner. Alternatively, SERS labels or nanotags, when conjugated to target-specific ligands, can be employed for the selective detection and localization of the corresponding target molecule. Biomedical applications based on both approaches are highlighted.

Rational design and synthesis of SERS labels

Abstract: SERS labels are a new class of nanotags for optical detection based on Raman scattering. Central advantages include their spectral multiplexing capacity due to the small line width of vibrational Raman bands, quantification based on spectral intensities, high photostability, minimization of autofluorescence from biological specimens via red to near-infrared (NIR) excitation, and the need for only a single laser excitation line. Current concepts for the rational design and synthesis of SERS labels are summarized in this review. Chemical constituents of SERS labels are the plasmonically active metal colloids for signal enhancement upon resonant laser excitation, organic Raman reporter molecules for adsorption onto the metal surface for identification, and an optional protective shell. Different chemical approaches towards the synthesis of rationally designed SERS labels are highlighted, including also their subsequent bioconjugation.

Microspectroscopic SERS detection of interleukin-6 with rationally designed gold/silver nanoshells

Abstract: Rationally designed gold/silver nanoshells (Au/Ag-NS) with plasmon resonances optimized for red laser excitation in order to minimize autofluorescence from clinical samples exhibit scattering cross-sections, which are ca. one order of magnitude larger compared with solid quasi-spherical gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) of the same size. Hydrophilic stabilization and sterical accessibility for subsequent bioconjugation of Au/Ag-NS is achieved by coating their surface with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of rationally designed Raman reporter molecules comprising terminal mono- and tri-ethylene glycol (EG) spacers, respectively. The stability of the hydrophilically stabilized metal colloid was tested under different conditions. In contrast to metal colloids coated with a SAM without terminal EG spacers, the hydrophilically stabilized SERS particles do not aggregate under physiologically relevant conditions, i.e., buffer solutions with high ionic strength. Using these rationally designed SERS particles in conjunction with a microspectroscopic acquisition scheme, a sandwich immunoassay for the sensitive detection of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was developed. Several control experiments demonstrate the high specificity of the assay towards IL-6, with a lowest detectable concentration of ca. 1 pg mL−1. The signal strength of the Au/Ag-NS is at least one order of magnitude higher compared with hydrophilically stabilized, non-aggregated solid quasi-spherical Au-NPs of the same size.

Single gold trimers and 3D superstructures exhibit a polarization-independent SERS response

Abstract: Dimers of metal nanospheres are well-known for their characteristic anisotropic optical response. Here, we demonstrate in single-particle SERS experiments that individual gold trimers and 3D superstructures exhibit a polarization-independent SERS response. This optical behavior of single particle clusters provides constant SERS signals, independent of the mutual orientation of the incident laser polarization and the plasmonic nanostructure, which is desired or even required in many SERS applications.

Force field-based conformational searches: efficiency and performance for peptide receptor complexes

Abstract: Conformational search using force field methods on complex biomolecular systems is a key factor in understanding molecular and structural properties. The reliability of such investigations strongly depends on the efficiency of the conformational search algorithm as well as the accuracy of the employed force field. In the present work we compared the performance of two different approaches: the Monte-Carlo multiple minimum/low mode sampling (MCMM/LM), in combination with the OPLS2005 (MCMM/LM//OPLS2005), and Tabu-Search combined with Basin Hopping (TS/BH), employing the original OPLS-AA implementation proposed by Jorgensen (TS/BH//OPLS-AA). We investigated their performance in locating energetically low-lying structures and the efficiency in scanning the conformational phase space of non-covalently bonded complexes. As test systems we employed complexes of the artificial peptide receptor CBS-KKF with four different tetrapeptide ligands. The reliability and the accuracy of both approaches were examined by r...