Nanoisland SERS-Substrates for Specific Detection and Quantification of Influenza A Virus

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based aptasensors for virus determination have attracted a lot of interest recently. This approach provides both specificity due to an aptamer component and a low limit of detection due to signal enhancement by a SERS substrate. The most successful SERS-based aptasensors have a limit of detection (LoD) of 10-100 viral particles per mL (VP/mL) that is advantageous compared to polymerase chain reactions. These characteristics of the sensors require the use of complex substrates. Previously, we described silver nanoisland SERS-substrate with a reproducible and uniform surface, demonstrating high potency for industrial production and a suboptimal LoD of 4 × 10⁵ VP/mL of influenza A virus. Here we describe a study of the sensor morphology, revealing an unexpected mechanism of signal enhancement through the distortion of the nanoisland layer. A novel modification of the aptasensor was proposed with chromium-enhanced adhesion of silver nanoparticles to the surface as well as elimination of the buffer-dependent distortion-triggering steps. As a result, the LoD of the Influenza A virus was decreased to 190 VP/mL, placing the nanoisland SERS-based aptasensors in the rank of the most powerful sensors for viral detection.