Silver nanotriangle array based LSPR sensor for rapid coronavirus detection

Yanjun Yang; Jackelyn Murray; James Haverstick; Ralph A Tripp; Yiping Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.snb.2022.131604

Silver nanotriangle array based LSPR sensor for rapid coronavirus detection

Sens Actuators B Chem. 2022 May 15:359:131604. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2022.131604. Epub 2022 Feb 19.

Authors

Yanjun Yang¹, Jackelyn Murray², James Haverstick³, Ralph A Tripp², Yiping Zhao³

Affiliations

¹ School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
² Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Abstract

A rapid, portable, and cost-effective method to detect the infection of SARS-CoV-2 is fundamental toward mitigating the current COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, a human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 protein (ACE2) functionalized silver nanotriangle (AgNT) array localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor is developed for rapid coronavirus detection, which is validated by SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD protein and CoV NL63 virus with high sensitivity and specificity. A linear shift of the LSPR wavelength versus the logarithm of the concentration of the spike RBD protein and CoV NL63 is observed. The limits of detection for the spike RBD protein, CoV NL63 in buffer and untreated saliva are determined to be 0.83 pM, 391 PFU/mL, and 625 PFU/mL, respectively, while the detection time is found to be less than 20 min. Thus, the AgNT array optical sensor could serve as a potential rapid point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic platform.

Keywords: Coronavirus NL63; Coronavirus detection; Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR); SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain; Silver nanotriangle array.