Facile synthesis of Raman active phospholipid gold nanoparticles
Natalie C M Tam1, Benjamin M T Scott, Danut Voicu
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medical Biophysics, and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Gold nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes have shown promise for disease detection and diagnosis. To improve their structural and functional stability for in vivo applications, we synthesized a colloidal SERS gold nanoparticle that encapsulates Raman molecules adsorbed on 60 nm gold with a nonthiol phospholipid coating. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman and UV spectroscopy validated its reproducibility and stability. This novel lipid-based SERS probe provides a viable alternative to the PEGylation and silica coating strategies.
