A Versatile Anisometric Metallic Supercrystal with Controllable Orientation on a Chip as a Stable and Reliable Label-Free Biosensor

Abstract

Based on anisometric noble-metal nanocrystals, a universal fabrication protocol for preparing 3D supercrystals with controlled orientation on a chip has been developed. A comparison of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) behavior of 3D nanorod supercrystals aligned vertically and parallel to the chip indicates that the SERS-enhancing ability and reproducibility of the former is superior to the latter. The 3D nanorod supercrystals aligned vertically to the chip have been utilized as highly sensitive SERS substrates for the label-free discrimination of Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Furthermore, to strengthen the stability of the supercrystal substrate for assays of bacteria in biosamples, a coating of the antibiotic vancomycin can dramatically increase adhesion of bacteria on a nanointerface and simultaneously improve the SERS response of bacteria to achieve a layer-by-layer assembled, stable, and reliable biosensor for bacteria.

Keywords: Raman spectroscopy; biosensors; crystal growth; noble metals; surface chemistry.