Excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance using a core-shell structured nanoparticle layer substrate and its application for label-free detection of biomolecular interactions

The novel characteristics of nanomaterials enable highly sensitive and specific applications in electronics, optics and biotechnology. In particular, nanomaterials have become the preferable tools for monitoring biomolecular interactions on a biochip without labelling procedures using enzymes and fluorescent dyes. In this report, label-free detection of hybridization between nucleic acids using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) based on a core-shell structured nanoparticle layer substrate is described. The core-shell structured nanoparticle layer substrate could be excited using LSPR phenomena, and its LSPR characteristics were controlled by applying different fabrication conditions. Using our LSPR label-free biochip, the optical characteristics were monitored for the detection of specific DNA-DNA and PNA-DNA hybridization reactions. Furthermore, the detection limit of the LSPR labelfree biochip was 1 pM. The highly sensitive label- free detection of DNA hybridization was possible in a short analysis time. As a result, the LSPR labelfree biochip provides a promising platform with attractive advantages for the detection of biomolecular interactions at low cost in a simplified experimental set-up with a low sample volume.