Development of a Graphene-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Optical Sensor Chip for Potential Biomedical Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Unintentional poisoning and vector-borne diseases necessitate advanced sensor technologies for early detection.
• Graphene-based materials offer unique properties for biosensing applications.
• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a label-free technique for detecting molecular interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a graphene-based SPR sensor for the rapid and quantitative detection of dengue virus (DENV) and cobalt ions (Co2+).
• To investigate the sensor's performance in terms of sensitivity, affinity, and selectivity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of two distinct graphene-based material sensor chips.
• Utilizing Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) to monitor changes upon analyte interaction with the graphene surface.
• Quantitative analysis of SPR signals for dengue virus (DENV) and cobalt ions (Co2+).

Main Results:

• The graphene-SPR sensor successfully detected dengue virus (DENV) at concentrations as low as 0.1 pM.
• The sensor also detected cobalt ions (Co2+) with a limit of detection of 0.1 ppm.
• The study provides detailed insights into the sensor's sensitivity, affinity, and selectivity.

Conclusions:

• Graphene-based SPR sensors offer a promising platform for the sensitive and selective detection of both biological analytes like DENV and metal ions like Co2+.
• This technology can contribute to improved diagnostics for vector-borne diseases and environmental monitoring.
• Further research can optimize the sensor for broader applications in disease surveillance and toxicology.