SGER: Antibody-Conjugated Nanoparticle Films as Spectroscopic Sensors of Chemical Agents

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

0228143 Wei The proposed work will fabricate robust, antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticle films as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a sensitive spectroscopic method with unmet potential for label-free chemical sensing. The SERS activities of the nanoparticle-based substrates will be optimized as a function of interparticle spacing and periodic order. Initial tests will be performed to recognize 2,4-dinitropohenol (DNP) in gas and aqueous environments and in the presence of several other aromatic compounds as a control for selectivity. The demonstration of substrates for selective chemical detection of DNP can be immediately parlayed into the development of Raman-based sensors of chemical warfare agents, including explosives, nerve gases, and mustard gases and vesicants. The structure-activity relationships are based on theoretical considerations alone and have no experimental precedence. However, the proposed research is hypothesis-driven and addresses both short-term objectives for chemical sensor development and fundamental issues on the plasmonic properties of nanostructured metal films, with subsequent potential for applications beyond chemical and biological sensing.