Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 21, 2026
09:29
Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation
Published on: September 27, 2011
Plasmonic Enhancement of Selective Photonic Virus Inactivation
Mina Nazari1,2, Min Xi3,2, Sarah Lerch3,2
1Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, United States.
Scientific Reports
|September 22, 2017
Summary
Femtosecond laser pulses combined with gold nanorods effectively inactivate viruses like Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV). This plasmonic enhancement achieves significant virus reduction in seconds without damaging antibodies.
Area of Science:
- Biophotonics
- Nanotechnology
- Virology
Background:
- Femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser irradiation is a promising photonic method for selective virus inactivation.
- Conventional methods require lengthy irradiation times for effective virus inactivation.
- Enhancing laser-based virus inactivation is crucial for practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enhancement of Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV) inactivation using 805 nm fs laser pulses.
- To explore the role of gold nanorods (GNRs) with overlapping localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) with the laser excitation.
- To understand the mechanism of plasmonically enhanced virus inactivation.
Main Methods:
- Irradiation of MLV with 805 nm fs laser pulses in the presence of GNRs.
- Measurement of virus infectivity using standard assays.
- Assessment of damage to co-incubated antibodies.
- Analysis of viral fusion and viral envelope integrity.
Main Results:
- Achieved greater than 3.7-log reduction in MLV infectivity.
- Reliable inactivation observed with 10-second laser exposure at ≥0.3 W.
- Selective inactivation of the virus without measurable damage to antibodies.
- Loss of infectivity correlated with reduced viral fusion and viral envelope perturbation.
Conclusions:
- Gold nanorods significantly enhance fs laser-induced virus inactivation.
- The mechanism involves plasmon-enhanced shockwave generation, not physical contact or reactive oxygen species (ROS).
- This technique offers a rapid and selective method for virus decontamination.
