The photothermal lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is of great significance to suitable for on-site semiquantitative detection, which has the upper hand in further constructing detection methods for low-concentration targets. Herein, we presented a doping engineering-powered nanoheterostructure with an enhanced photothermal performance strategy, employing bimetallic nanocuboid Pt3Sn (PSNCs) as a proof of concept. With the help of finite element simulation analysis, the contrast of direct temperature experiment, and the evaluation of photothermal conversion efficiency (η), the distinguished and enthusiastic photothermal feedback of PSNCs is proved. Based on steady bright black of colorimetric and superior photothermal performance, the PSNCs were employed to construct an ultrasensitive model LIFA for detecting Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), which achieved the double-signal semiquantitative detection, the detection limit reached 103 cfu mL-1 (colorimetric mode) and 102 cfu mL-1 (photothermal mode), which is 100 times higher than that of the traditional colloidal gold method. In addition, the method was effective for the detection of targets in dairy samples only through a simple dilution treatment, which was completed within 15 min. Meanwhile, this PSNCs dual-signal LFIA demonstrated the sensitive detection of S. typhimurium due to the excellent colorimetric signal and significant photothermal performance, which provides a broad spectrum for the future detection of foodborne pathogens.
Keywords: Salmonella typhimurium; food safety; lateral flow immunoassay; photothermal.