Quaternary Ammonium-Terminated Films Formed from Mixed Bidentate Adsorbates Provide a High-Capacity Platform for Oligonucleotide Delivery.

The exposure of quaternary ammonium groups on surfaces allows self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to serve as architectural platforms for immobilizing oligonucleotides. The current study describes the preparation of SAMs derived from four unique bidentate adsorbates containing two different ammonium termini (i.e., trimethyl- and triethyl-) and comparison to their monodentate analogs. Our studies found that SAMs derived from the bidentate adsorbates offered considerable enhancements in oligonucleotide binding when compared to SAMs derived from their monodentate analogs. The generated SAMs were analyzed using ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle goniometry, polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. These analyses showed that the immobilization of oligonucleotides was affected by changes in the terminal functionalities and the relative packing densities of the monolayers. In efforts to enhance further the immobilization of oligonucleotides on these SAM surfaces, we explored the use of adsorbates having aliphatic linkers with systematically varying chain lengths to form binary SAMs on gold. Mixed monolayers with 50:50 ratios of adsorbates showed the greatest oligonucleotide binding. These studies lay the groundwork for oligonucleotide delivery using gold-based nanoparticles and nanoshells.

Broadening the photoresponsive activity of anatase titanium dioxide particles via decoration with partial gold shells.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has gained increasing interest in materials research due to its outstanding properties and promising applications in a wide range of fields. From this perspective, we report the synthesis of custom-designed anatase TiO2 submicrometer particles coated with partial Au shells (ATiO2-AuShl). The synthetic strategy used herein yields uniformly shaped monodisperse particles. Amorphous TiO2 core particles were synthesized using template-free oxidation and hydrolysis of titanium nitride (TiN); subsequent hydrothermal treatment generated anatase TiO2 (ATiO2) particles. Coating ATiO2 particles with partial Au shells was accomplished using a simple seeded-growth method. Evaluation of the optical properties of these ATiO2-AuShl particles showed that these submicrometer composites exhibited an intense absorption peak for TiO2 in the UV region (∼326 nm) and a broad extinction band in the visible range (∼650 nm) arising from the incomplete Au shell. These ATiO2-AuShl composite particles provide a unique and effective means for broadening the optical response of TiO2-based nano- and micron-scale materials. The simplicity of our synthetic method should broaden the application of ATiO2-AuShl particles in various visible light-driven technologies.

Magnetic Sensing Potential of Fe3O4 Nanocubes Exceeds That of Fe3O4 Nanospheres.

This paper highlights the relation between the shape of iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles and their magnetic sensing ability. We synthesized Fe3O4 nanocubes and nanospheres having tunable sizes via solvothermal and thermal decomposition synthesis reactions, respectively, to obtain samples in which the volumes and body diagonals/diameters were equivalent. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) data showed that the saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity of 100-225 nm cubic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were, respectively, 1.4-3.0 and 1.1-8.4 times those of spherical MNPs on a same-volume and same-body diagonal/diameter basis. The Curie temperature for the cubic Fe3O4 MNPs for each size was also higher than that of the corresponding spherical MNPs; furthermore, the cubic Fe3O4 MNPs were more crystalline than the corresponding spherical MNPs. For applications relying on both higher contact area and enhanced magnetic properties, higher-Ms Fe3O4 nanocubes offer distinct advantages over Fe3O4 nanospheres of the same-volume or same-body diagonal/diameter. We evaluated the sensing potential of our synthesized MNPs using giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensing and force-induced remnant magnetization spectroscopy (FIRMS). Preliminary data obtained by GMR sensing confirmed that the nanocubes exhibited a distinct sensitivity advantage over the nanospheres. Similarly, FIRMS data showed that when subjected to the same force at the same initial concentration, a greater number of nanocubes remained bound to the sensor surface because of higher surface contact area. Because greater binding and higher Ms translate to stronger signal and better analytical sensitivity, nanocubes are an attractive alternative to nanospheres in sensing applications.

Biosensing Using Magnetic Particle Detection Techniques.

Magnetic particles are widely used as signal labels in a variety of biological sensing applications, such as molecular detection and related strategies that rely on ligand-receptor binding. In this review, we explore the fundamental concepts involved in designing magnetic particles for biosensing applications and the techniques used to detect them. First, we briefly describe the magnetic properties that are important for bio-sensing applications and highlight the associated key parameters (such as the starting materials, size, functionalization methods, and bio-conjugation strategies). Subsequently, we focus on magnetic sensing applications that utilize several types of magnetic detection techniques: spintronic sensors, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensors, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), sensors based on the atomic magnetometer (AM), and others. From the studies reported, we note that the size of the MPs is one of the most important factors in choosing a sensing technique.

Homogeneously Mixed Monolayers: Emergence of Compositionally Conflicted Interfaces.

The ability to manipulate interfaces at the nanoscale via a variety of thin-film technologies offers a plethora of avenues for advancing surface applications. These include surfaces with remarkable antibiofouling properties as well as those with tunable physical and electronic properties. Molecular self-assembly is one notably attractive method used to decorate and modify surfaces. Of particular interest to surface scientists has been the thiolate-gold system, which serves as a reliable method for generating model thin-film monolayers that transform the interfacial properties of gold surfaces. Despite widespread interest, efforts to tune the interfacial properties using mixed adsorbate systems have frequently led to phase-separated domains of molecules on the surface with random sizes and shapes depending on the structure and chemical composition of the adsorbates. This feature article highlights newly emerging methods for generating mixed thin-film interfaces, not only to enhance the aforementioned properties of organic thin films, but also to give rise to interfacial compositions never before observed in nature. An example would be the development of monolayers formed from bidentate adsorbates and other unique headgroup architectures that provide the surface bonding stability necessary to allow the assembly of interfaces that expose mixtures of chains that are fundamentally different in character (i.e., either phase-incompatible or structurally dissimilar), producing compositionally "conflicted" interfaces. By also exploring the prior efforts to produce such homogeneously blended interfaces, this feature article seeks to convey the relationships between the methods of film formation and the overall properties of the resulting interfaces.

DNA Loading and Release Using Custom-Tailored Poly(l-lysine) Surfaces.

This Article describes the generation and study of surfaces modified with custom-crafted poly(l-lysine) (PLL) coatings for use in the loading and delivery of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The experimental strategy utilizes bidentate dithiol adsorbates to generate stably bound azide-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold possessing an oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) spacer. Consequent to the molecular assembly on gold, the azide termini are covalently attached to a maleimide linker moiety via a copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne "click" reaction. Functionalization with maleimide provides a platform for the subsequent attachment of cysteine-terminated poly(l-lysine) (PLL), thus forming a suitable surface for the loading of ssDNA via electrostatic interactions. In efforts to maximize DNA loading, we generate SAMs containing mixtures of short and long PLL segments and explore the DNA-loading capability of the various PLL SAMs. We then use thermal increases to trigger the release of the ssDNA from the surface. By examining the loading and release of ssDNA using these new two-dimensional systems, we gain preliminary insight into the potential efficacy of this approach when using three-dimensional gold nanostructure systems in future gene-delivery and biosensing applications.

Bidentate Aromatic Thiols on Gold: New Insight Regarding the Influence of Branching on the Structure, Packing, Wetting, and Stability of Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold Surfaces.

A series of 2-phenylpropane-1,3-dithiol derivatives with single (R1ArDT), double (R2ArDT), and triple (R3ArDT) octadecyloxy chains substituted at the 4-, 3,5-, and, 3,4,5-positions, respectively, on the aromatic ring were synthesized and used to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold. Insight into the relationship between the surface chain and headgroup packing densities was investigated by varying the number of surface chains for the bidentate adsorbates in these monolayers. Characterization of the resulting SAMs using ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, and contact angle goniometry revealed that the tailgroups become more comformationally ordered and more densely packed as the number of alkyl chains per adsorbate was increased. Conversely, the molecular packing density (i.e., number of molecules per unit area) decreased as the number of alkyl chains per adsorbate was increased. Of particular interest, the desorption profiles obtained in isooctane at 80 °C suggested that the bidentate adsorbate with the most densely packed alkyl chains, R3ArDT, was significantly more stable than the other SAMs, producing the following relative order for thermal stability for the dithiolate SAMs: R3ArDT > R2ArDT > R1ArDT.

Catalytic assembly of DNA nanostructures on a nanoporous gold array as 3D architectures for label-free telomerase activity sensing.

Telomerase, an enzyme known to catalyze telomere elongation by adding TTAGGG [thymine (T), adenine (A), and guanine (G)] repeats to the end of telomeres, is vital for cell proliferation. Overexpression of telomerase has been found in most tumor cells, resulting in telomere dysfunction and uncontrolled cellular proliferation. Thus, telomerase has been considered as a potential cancer biomarker, as well as a potential target in cancer therapy. In this study, telomerase-catalyzed growth of tandem G-quadruplex (G4) assembled on a nanoporous gold array (NPGA) resulted in the formation of three-dimensional hybrid nanoarchitectures. The generated nanostructure then captured malachite green (MG) (reporter molecule) without the need of a complicated labeling process. Upon laser irradiation, the captured MG molecules produced a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal that was generated by an abundant amount of plasmonic hot spots in the NPGA substrates. A limit of detection (LOD) of 10-10 IU along with a linear range, which was 3 orders of magnitude, was achieved, which was equivalent to the telomerase amount extracted from 20 HeLa cells. The LOD is 2 orders of magnitude better than that of the commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and it approaches that of the most sensitive technique, telomeric repeat amplification protocols (TRAP), which require a laborious and equipment-intensive polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to chemically identify and quantify the telomerase activity on the sensitized NPGA surface. Furthermore, the sensor was applied to screen the effectiveness of anti-telomerase drugs such as zidovudine, thus demonstrating the potential use of the sensor in telomerase-based diagnosis and drug development. Moreover, the framework represents a novel paradigm of collaborative plasmonic intensification and catalytic multiplication (c-PI/CM) for label-free biosensing.

Far-field plasmonic coupling in 2-dimensional polycrystalline plasmonic arrays enables wide tunability with low-cost nanofabrication.

We report the experimental observation and numerical modeling study of far-field plasmonic coupling (FFPC) in 2-dimensional polycrystalline plasmonic arrays consisting of "single crystalline" domains of a random size and orientation. Even though polycrystalline plasmonic arrays are routine products of low-cost nanosphere lithography (NSL), their FFPC behavior has not been well understood. Herein, FFPC observed from gold nanodisk (AuND) arrays fabricated using NSL appears, qualitatively, to be in keeping with that of highly regular nanoparticle arrays, where they induced cyclic modulations on the peak position and linewidth of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Remarkable blue shifts as large as 1000 nm with nearly doubled linewidth were observed experimentally. Numerical modeling was systematically carried out and showed quantitative agreement with the experimental results. Using the modeling approach, the influences of array randomness and particle size on FFPC have been studied independently for the first time. Finally, two potential applications have been developed for FFPC-based LSPR tuning. Firstly, when AuND arrays are fabricated on flexible substrates, a novel transduction mechanism can be established between the LSPR peak position and the substrate strain. Owing to the far-field propagating nature, FFPC-based transduction can effectively extend the strain-tuning displacement range by an order of magnitude compared with those based on near-field coupling. Secondly, we show that FFPC leads to an LSPR peak within 1 µm for nanoporous gold disk arrays, which otherwise have a single particle LSPR peak beyond 1.5 µm. Such a significant FFPC-induced blue shift is critically important for compatibility with the use of silicon-based detectors.

Nanoporous Gold Disks Functionalized with Stabilized G-Quadruplex Moieties for Sensing Small Molecules.

We report label-free small molecule sensing on nanoporous gold disks functionalized with stabilized Guanine-quadruplex (G4) moieties using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). By utilizing the unique G4 topological structure, target molecules can be selectively captured onto nanoporous gold (NPG) disk surfaces via π-π stacking and electrostatic attractions. Together with high-density plasmonic "hot spots" of NPG disks, the captured molecules produce a remarkable SERS signal. Our strategy represents the first example of the detection of foreign molecules conjugated to nondouble helical DNA nanostructures using SERS while providing a new technique for studying the formation and evolution of G4 moieties. The molecular specificity of G4 is known to be controlled by its unit sequence. Without losing generality, we have selected d(GGT)7GG sequence for the sensing of malachite green (MG), a known carcinogen frequently abused illegally in aquaculture. The newly developed technique achieved a lowest detectable concentration at an impressive 50 pM, two orders of magnitude lower than the European Union (EU) regulatory requirement, with high specificity against potential interferents. To demonstrate the translational potential of this technology, we achieved a lowest detectable concentration of 5.0 nM, meeting the EU regulatory requirement, using a portable probe based detection system.

Simultaneous Chemical and Refractive Index Sensing in the 1-2.5 µm Near-Infrared Wavelength Range on Nanoporous Gold Disks.

Near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy provides molecular and chemical information based on overtones and combination bands of the fundamental vibrational modes in the infrared wavelengths. However, the sensitivity of NIR absorption measurement is limited by the generally weak absorption and the relatively poor detector performance compared to other wavelength ranges. To overcome these barriers, we have developed a novel technique to simultaneously obtain chemical and refractive index sensing in 1-2.5 µm NIR wavelength range on nanoporous gold (NPG) disks, which feature high-density plasmonic hot-spots of localized electric field enhancement. For the first time, surface-enhanced near-infrared absorption (SENIRA) spectroscopy has been demonstrated for high sensitivity chemical detection. With a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of octadecanethiol (ODT), an enhancement factor (EF) of up to ∼10(4) has been demonstrated for the first C-H combination band at 2400 nm using NPG disk with 600 nm diameter. Together with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) extinction spectroscopy, simultaneous sensing of sample refractive index has been achieved for the first time. The performance of this technique has been evaluated using various hydrocarbon compounds and crude oil samples.

Superhydrophobic perfluorinated metal-organic frameworks.

Three perfluorinated Cu-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were prepared starting from extensively fluorinated biphenyl-based ligands accessed via C-H functionalization. These new materials are highly hydrophobic: with water contact angles of up to 151 ± 1°, they are among the most water-repellent MOFs ever reported.

Fibrillar self-organization of a line-active partially fluorinated thiol within binary self-assembled monolayers.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were prepared from a novel two-tailed partially fluorinated thiol (F8C11/C16), possessing one hydrocarbon chain and one chain with an extended fluorinated segment, and from mixtures of F8C11/C16 and hexadecanethiol (C16) on gold, with the expectation that the internal chemical dissimilarity and wedge-like shape of F8C11/C16 would lead to unique self-organizational motifs. The SAMs were systematically characterized using ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle goniometry, and polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). Based on this characterization, the one-component F8C11/C16 SAMs exhibited relatively poor molecular organization compared to traditional alkanethiols, forming low coverage monolayers with significant molecular disorder. However, the series of mixed SAMs formed from F8C11 and F8C11/C16 were anomalously well ordered as indicated by film thickness, surface coverage, and the frequencies of characteristic vibrational modes. AFM images of these mixed SAMs exhibited nanoscale fibrillar structures in a birds-nest morphology, suggesting that in the presence of a C16 matrix, the F8C11/C16 component organized into the two-dimensional analogue of discrete bilayers. Control experiments involving mixed SAMs comprised of F8C11/C16 and a single-tailed partially fluorinated thiol (F8C11) or C16 and F8C11 exhibited no appreciable indication of interesting self-organization beyond an evenly dispersed mixing of the thiolates or phase separation, respectively.