A fast and low‐cost spray method for prototyping and depositing surface‐enhanced Raman scattering arrays on microfluidic paper based device

In this study, a fast, low‐cost, and facile spray method was proposed. This method deposits highly sensitive surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the paper‐microfluidic scheme. The procedures for substrate preparation were studied including different strategies to synthesize AgNPs and the optimization of spray cycles. In addition, the morphologies of the different kinds of paper substrates were characterized by SEM and investigated by their SERS signals. The established method was found to be favorable for obtaining good sensitivity and reproducible results. The RSDs of Raman intensity of randomly analyzing 20 spots on the same paper or different filter papers depositing AgNPs are both below 15%. The SERS enhancement factor is approximately 2 × 107. The whole fabrication is very rapid, robust, and does not require specific instruments. Furthermore, the total cost for 1000 pieces of chip is less than $20. These advantages demonstrated the potential for growing SERS applications in the area of environmental monitoring, food safety, and bioanalysis in the future.

[1]  F. Theil,et al.  Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS): progress and trends , 2012, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

[2]  M. Moskovits,et al.  Hot spots in silver nanowire bundles for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[3]  Wei W. Yu,et al.  Inkjet printed surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy array on cellulose paper. , 2010, Analytical chemistry.

[4]  R. Dasari,et al.  Single Molecule Detection Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) , 1997 .

[5]  T. Dupont,et al.  Capillary flow as the cause of ring stains from dried liquid drops , 1997, Nature.

[6]  George M Whitesides,et al.  Electrochemical sensing in paper-based microfluidic devices. , 2010, Lab on a chip.

[7]  Ran Zhang,et al.  Highly efficient SERS test strips. , 2012, Chemical communications.

[8]  Dukhyun Choi,et al.  Additional amplifications of SERS via an optofluidic CD-based platform. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[9]  Eun Kyu Lee,et al.  Simultaneous detection of duplex DNA oligonucleotides using a SERS-based micro-network gradient chip. , 2012, Lab on a chip.

[10]  V. Subramanian,et al.  Inkjet-printed line morphologies and temperature control of the coffee ring effect. , 2008, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[11]  Andres W Martinez,et al.  Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices: from POCKET to paper-based ELISA. , 2011, Bioanalysis.

[12]  Micropumps actuated negative pressure injection for microchip electrophoresis , 2008, Electrophoresis.

[13]  P. Pellegrino,et al.  Highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on filter paper loaded with plasmonic nanostructures. , 2011, Analytical chemistry.

[14]  B. Lin,et al.  Fabrication and characterization of paper-based microfluidics prepared in nitrocellulose membrane by wax printing. , 2010, Analytical chemistry.

[15]  L. Liz‐Marzán,et al.  Free-standing carbon nanotube films as optical accumulators for multiplex SERRS attomolar detection. , 2010, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[16]  Shenguang Ge,et al.  A novel chemiluminescence paper microfluidic biosensor based on enzymatic reaction for uric acid determination. , 2011, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[17]  K. Kneipp,et al.  Two-photon vibrational spectroscopy for biosciences based on surface-enhanced hyper-Raman scattering , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[18]  Dan Li,et al.  Gold nanoparticle-paper as a three-dimensional surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate. , 2012, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[19]  Andrew J. deMello,et al.  Surface-enhanced Raman scattering in nanoliter droplets: towards high-sensitivity detection of mercury (II) ions , 2009, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[20]  David G. Fernig,et al.  Extremely Stable Water-Soluble Ag Nanoparticles , 2005 .

[21]  Bingcheng Lin,et al.  Microvalve-actuated precise control of individual droplets in microfluidic devices. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[22]  Development of micropump‐actuated negative pressure pinched injection for parallel electrophoresis on array microfluidic chip , 2009, Electrophoresis.

[23]  Bing Yan,et al.  SERS tags: novel optical nanoprobes for bioanalysis. , 2013, Chemical reviews.

[24]  Rustem F Ismagilov,et al.  Nanoliter multiplex PCR arrays on a SlipChip. , 2010, Analytical chemistry.

[25]  Jaebum Choo,et al.  Recent advances in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering detection technology for microfluidic chips , 2008, Electrophoresis.

[26]  Gregory G. Lewis,et al.  High throughput method for prototyping three-dimensional, paper-based microfluidic devices. , 2012, Lab on a chip.

[27]  B. Zheng,et al.  Measuring rapid enzymatic kinetics by electrochemical method in droplet-based microfluidic devices with pneumatic valves. , 2009, Analytical chemistry.

[28]  Steven R. Emory,et al.  Probing Single Molecules and Single Nanoparticles by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering , 1997, Science.

[29]  Bernhard Lendl,et al.  A New Method for Fast Preparation of Highly Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Active Silver Colloids at Room Temperature by Reduction of Silver Nitrate with Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride , 2003 .

[30]  Jinghua Yu,et al.  Microfluidic paper-based chemiluminescence biosensor for simultaneous determination of glucose and uric acid. , 2011, Lab on a chip.

[31]  Eun Kyu Lee,et al.  Trace analysis of mercury(II) ions using aptamer-modified Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles and SERS spectroscopy in a microdroplet channel. , 2013, Lab on a chip.

[32]  Sindy K. Y. Tang,et al.  Multizone Paper Platform for 3D Cell Cultures , 2011, PloS one.

[33]  Erkang Wang,et al.  Enzyme colorimetric assay using unmodified silver nanoparticles. , 2008, Analytical chemistry.

[34]  Bingcheng Lin,et al.  Rapid prototyping of paper‐based microfluidics with wax for low‐cost, portable bioassay , 2009, Electrophoresis.

[35]  K. Oh,et al.  SERS-based immunoassay using a gold array-embedded gradient microfluidic chip. , 2012, Lab on a chip.

[36]  Hongkai Wu,et al.  Convenient formation of nanoparticle aggregates on microfluidic chips for highly sensitive SERS detection of biomolecules , 2012, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

[37]  Lingxin Chen,et al.  Highly sensitive SERS detection of As3+ ions in aqueous media using glutathione functionalized silver nanoparticles. , 2011, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[38]  G. Whitesides.  The origins and the future of microfluidics , 2006, Nature.