In situ fabrication of label-free optical sensing paper strips for the rapid surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of brassinosteroids in plant tissues

Miao Chen; Zhimin Zhang; Minzhuo Liu; Chen Qiu; Hua Yang; Xiaoqing Chen

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2016.12.072

In situ fabrication of label-free optical sensing paper strips for the rapid surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of brassinosteroids in plant tissues

Talanta. 2017 Apr 1:165:313-320. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2016.12.072. Epub 2016 Dec 25.

Authors

Miao Chen¹, Zhimin Zhang¹, Minzhuo Liu¹, Chen Qiu¹, Hua Yang², Xiaoqing Chen³

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China. Electronic address: hyangchem@csu.edu.cn.
³ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China. Electronic address: xqchen@csu.edu.cn.

PMID: 28153259
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2016.12.072

Abstract

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-functionalized, gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-immobilized paper strip was developed to realize label-free rapid detection of brassinosteroids (BRs) in plant tissues. The AuNPs paper strip was fabricated through utilizing poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) as the linker and concentrator for the directly immobilized AuNPs on paper, which can circumvent many drawbacks of the existing SERS substrates. An enhancement factor of 1.13×10⁸, high reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 4.78%), highly sensitive detection limit with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 (1×10^-11M 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid), and long-term stability for the responses of the SERS-functionalized AuNPs paper strip to Raman intensities were achieved by optimizing reaction conditions including the concentrations of γ-PGA and HAuCl₄/NaBH₄. Ultimately, this developed paper strip was applied to the determination of BRs in plant tissues, obtaining precisions with RSD values in a range of 3.0-13.8%. The SERS-functionalized AuNPs paper strip featuring label-free rapid analysis, and high sensitivity could serve as an excellent alternative for on-site rapid detections.

Keywords: Brassinosteroids; Paper strip; Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).

MeSH terms

Biosensing Techniques / methods*
Brassinosteroids / analysis*
Gold / chemistry
Limit of Detection
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry
Optical Imaging / methods*
Paper*
Plants / metabolism*
Reagent Strips / chemistry*
Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods*
Surface Properties

Substances

Brassinosteroids
Reagent Strips
Gold