Use of a micro- to nanochannel for the characterization of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy signals from unique functionalized nanoparticles.

A micro- to nanochannel nanoparticle aggregating device that does not require any input energy to organize the particles to a specific location, i.e., no pumps, plugs, heat, or magnets, has been designed and used to characterize the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signal from four unique functionalized nanoparticles (gold, silver-gold nanocages, silver nanocubes, and silica-gold nanoshells). The SERS signal was assessed in terms of the peak signal strength from the four different Raman reporter functionalized nanoparticles to determine which nanoparticle had better utility in the channel to provide the most robust platform for a future biological analyte detection device. The innovation used to fabricate the micro- to nanochannel device is described; the TEM images of the nanoparticles are shown; the absorption data for the nanoparticles are given; and the spectral data for the Raman reporter, mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA), are depicted. In the micro- to nanochannel described in this work, 5  μl of 22.3  μM MBA functionalized silver nanocubes were determined to have the strongest SERS enhancement.