Gold Nanocone Array with Extensive Electromagnetic Fields for Highly Reproducible Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering...

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Spectroscopy
• Biomedical Diagnostics

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detects biomarkers in liquid biopsies like exosomes and circulating tumor cells.
• Existing SERS platforms using metal nanoparticles face challenges in fabrication reproducibility, impacting signal consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly reproducible SERS platform for accurate biomarker detection.
• To address the limitations of current SERS substrates regarding fabrication consistency.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a polymer-based gold nanocone array (Au NCA).
• Utilizing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to generate enhanced electromagnetic fields.
• Experimental demonstration using a 785 nm laser for SERS measurements.

Main Results:

• The Au NCA platform demonstrated excellent substrate-to-substrate reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 6%.
• The fabrication procedure was simple, and measurements required very low laser energy.
• The enhanced electromagnetic field near the Au NCA surface facilitated sensitive SERS detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed gold nanocone array (Au NCA) serves as a highly reproducible SERS substrate.
• This platform shows significant potential for reliable distinction of disease-related biomarkers in liquid biopsies.