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Published on: November 14, 2018
Microfluidic fabrication of SERS-active microspheres for molecular detection
Hyerim Hwang1, Shin-Hyun Kim, Seung-Man Yang
1National Creative Research Initiative Center for Integrated Optofluidic Systems, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701, Korea.
Lab on a Chip
|October 21, 2010
Summary
This study presents a microfluidic system for creating specialized microspheres. These microspheres enhance molecular detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with hierarchical nanopatterns.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Developing sensitive and rapid molecular detection platforms is crucial for various scientific fields.
- Hierarchical nanostructured materials offer unique properties for enhanced analytical performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate microspheres with hierarchical surface nanopatterns for advanced molecular detection.
- To investigate the utility of these microspheres in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a microfluidic device with coaxial glass capillaries to emulsify a photocurable silica suspension into monodisperse droplets.
- Achieved spontaneous hexagonal array formation of silica particles at the droplet interface, followed by polymerization.
- Decorated the polymerized silica microspheres with silver nanoparticles via electroless deposition to create SERS-active hot spots.
Main Results:
- Fabricated microspheres with hierarchical surface nanopatterns exhibiting high sensitivity and fast binding kinetics for SERS-based molecular detection.
- Demonstrated successful SERS signal detection from adsorbed molecules in both dried and suspension states.
- Showcased functionalization of SERS-active microspheres into structural colored or magnetoresponsive variants for diverse applications.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic system effectively produces hierarchical nanopatterned microspheres suitable for sensitive SERS detection.
- The unique structure provides numerous hot spots, enhancing detection sensitivity and speed.
- The versatility of these microspheres allows for adaptation to various advanced applications beyond molecular detection.
