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Nano Research 2023, 16(1): 1132-1140 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4745-0
Research Article | Issue | Published: 27 July 2022

Fabrication of plasmonic nanopyramidal array as flexible SERS substrate for biosensing application

Show Author's Information Anindita Das1,  Udit Pant2,  Cuong Cao2,3,  Rakesh S. Moirangthem1( ),  Hitesh Bhanudas Kamble4
Nanophotonics Lab, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad-826004, India
Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, UK
Material and Advanced Technologies for Healthcare, Queen’s University of Belfast, 18-30 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN, UK
IITB Nanofabrication Facility, Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay-400076, India
Keywords:
flexible, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), nanopyramids, hemoglobin protein, nanoimprinting, replica molding
Topics:
Nano detection
Cite this article:
Das A, Pant U, Cao C, et al. Fabrication of plasmonic nanopyramidal array as flexible SERS substrate for biosensing application. Nano Research, 2023, 16(1): 1132-1140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4745-0
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

The proposed work aims to develop a sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) nano-biosensor. The inverted nano pyramid array on silicon substrate fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) was utilised as a master template and the mold was later replicated via nanoimprinting process to prepare gold-coated polymer nanopyramid three-dimensional (3D) SERS substrate. The fast and versatile replication process using nanoimprinting lithography (NIL) can produce polymer nanopyramids in a low-cost and reproducible fashion. Also, the proposed fabrication protocol can be easily upscale for large scale fabrication. The intense electric field confinement at nanotips and four edges of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid enhanced the Raman signal of probe molecules, i.e., Rhodamine 6G with a limit of detection down to 3.277 × 10−9 M was achieved. This work also underlines the efficiency of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid arrays in the spectral detection of hemoglobin proteins at low concentrations. The Raman signal enhancement mechanism was further studied through the electromagnetic simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics. In addition, bending test experiments were performed to understand the effect of flexibility on SERS signal response. The fabricated gold-coated polymer nanopyramids arrays could pave the way for the development of low-cost SERS platforms for the detection of hazardous biological and chemical compounds at ultra-low concentrations in practical applications.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Fabrication of plasmonic nanopyramidal array as flexible SERS substrate for biosensing application

Show Author's information Anindita Das1, Udit Pant2, Cuong Cao2,3, Rakesh S. Moirangthem1( ), Hitesh Bhanudas Kamble4
Nanophotonics Lab, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad-826004, India
Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, UK
Material and Advanced Technologies for Healthcare, Queen’s University of Belfast, 18-30 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN, UK
IITB Nanofabrication Facility, Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay-400076, India

Abstract

The proposed work aims to develop a sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) nano-biosensor. The inverted nano pyramid array on silicon substrate fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) was utilised as a master template and the mold was later replicated via nanoimprinting process to prepare gold-coated polymer nanopyramid three-dimensional (3D) SERS substrate. The fast and versatile replication process using nanoimprinting lithography (NIL) can produce polymer nanopyramids in a low-cost and reproducible fashion. Also, the proposed fabrication protocol can be easily upscale for large scale fabrication. The intense electric field confinement at nanotips and four edges of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid enhanced the Raman signal of probe molecules, i.e., Rhodamine 6G with a limit of detection down to 3.277 × 10−9 M was achieved. This work also underlines the efficiency of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid arrays in the spectral detection of hemoglobin proteins at low concentrations. The Raman signal enhancement mechanism was further studied through the electromagnetic simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics. In addition, bending test experiments were performed to understand the effect of flexibility on SERS signal response. The fabricated gold-coated polymer nanopyramids arrays could pave the way for the development of low-cost SERS platforms for the detection of hazardous biological and chemical compounds at ultra-low concentrations in practical applications.

Keywords: flexible, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), nanopyramids, hemoglobin protein, nanoimprinting, replica molding

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Received: 05 May 2022
Revised: 04 July 2022
Accepted: 05 July 2022
Published: 27 July 2022
Issue date: January 2023

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