Ready-to-Use Germanium Surfaces for the Development of FTIR-Based Biosensors for Proteins

Germanium is particularly suitable for the design of FTIR-based biosensors for proteins. The grafting of stable and thin organic layers on germanium surfaces remains, however, challenging. To tackle this problem, we developed a calix[4]arene-tetradiazonium salt decorated with four oligo(ethylene glycol) chains and a terminal reactive carboxyl group. This versatile molecular platform was covalently grafted on germanium surfaces to yield robust ready-to-use surfaces for biosensing applications. The grafted calixarene monolayer prevents nonspecific adsorption of proteins while allowing bioconjugation with biomolecules such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) or biotin. It is shown that the native form of the investigated proteins was maintained upon immobilization. As a proof of concept, the resulting calix[4]arene-based germanium biosensors were used through a combination of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy for the selective detection of streptavidin from a complex medium. This study opens real possibilities for the development of sensitive and selective FTIR-based biosensors devoted to the detection of proteins.