Optical nanoprobes based on gold nanoparticles for sugar sensing

A novel optical nanoprobe for sugar sensing is reported. The assay used an electrospun polyamide mesh containing Au salts. The reaction of carbohydrates with these Au salts in alkaline media generates gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) at room temperature without the need for Au seeds. The optical properties of the resulting AuNPs relate to the total reducing sugar content of the samples analysed. The development of such inexpensive disposable optical nanoprobes could find applications in a host of industrial, biomedical and clinical fields.