Issue 16, 2016

Tunable and amplified Raman gold nanoprobes for effective tracking (TARGET): in vivo sensing and imaging

Abstract

We describe the development of a highly tunable, physiologically stable, and ultra-bright Raman probe, named as TARGET (Tunable and Amplified Raman Gold Nanoprobes for Effective Tracking), for in vitro and in vivo surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. The TARGET structure consists of a gold core inside a larger gold shell with a tunable interstitial gap similar to a “nanorattle” structure. The combination of galvanic replacement and the seed mediated growth method was employed to load Raman reporter molecules and subsequently close the pores to prevent leaking and degradation of reporters under physiologically extreme conditions. Precise tuning of the core–shell gap width, core size, and shell thickness allows us to modulate the plasmonic effect and achieve a maximum electric-field (E-field) intensity. The interstitial gap of TARGET nanoprobes can be designed to exhibit a plasmon absorption band at 785 nm, which is in resonance with the dye absorption maximum and lies in the “tissue optical window”, resulting in ultra-bright SERS signals for in vivo studies. The results of in vivo measurements of TARGETs in laboratory mice illustrated the usefulness of these nanoprobes for medical sensing and imaging.

Graphical abstract: Tunable and amplified Raman gold nanoprobes for effective tracking (TARGET): in vivo sensing and imaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
17 N’w 2015
Accepted
29 Kul 2016
First published
31 Kul 2016

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 8486-8494

Tunable and amplified Raman gold nanoprobes for effective tracking (TARGET): in vivo sensing and imaging

N. Gandra, H. C. Hendargo, S. J. Norton, A. M. Fales, G. M. Palmer and T. Vo-Dinh, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 8486 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR08980H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements