Highly ordered Fe-Au heterostructured nanorod arrays and their exceptional near-infrared plasmonic signature

Optimization of High-Density Fe-Au Nano-Arrays for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Biological Samples

The method of realizing nanostructures using porous alumina templates has attracted interest due to the precise geometry and cheap cost of nanofabrication. In this work, nanoporous alumina membranes were utilized to realize a forest of nanowires, providing a bottom-up nanofabrication method suitable for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Gold and iron were electroplated through the straight channels of the membrane. The resulting nanowires are, indeed, made of an active element for plasmonic resonance and SERS as the hexagonal distribution of the nanowires and the extreme high density of the nanowires allows to excite the plasmon and detect the Raman signal. The method to reduce the distance between pores and, consequently, the distance of the nanowires after electrodeposition is optimized here. Indeed, it has been predicted that the light intensity enhancement factor is up to 10¹² when the gap is small than 10 nm. Measurements of Raman signal of thiol groups drying on the gold nanowires show that the performance of the device is improved. As the thiol group can be linked to proteins, the device has the potential of a biosensor for the detection of a few biomolecules. To assess the performance of the device and demonstrate its ability to analyze biological solutions, we used it as SERS substrates to examine solutions of IgG in low abundance ranges. The results of the test indicate that the sensor can convincingly detect biomolecules in physiologically relevant ranges.

Multisegmented Metallic Nanorods: Sub-10 nm Growth, Nanoscale Manipulation, and Subwavelength Imaging

Multisegmented metallic nanorods (MS-M-NRs) have attracted increasing attention thanks to their integrated structures and complex functions. The integration of nanoscale segments in 1D enables maximum exposure of each segment and enhanced interaction between adjacent segments. Such structural integration will induce functional complexity in the nanorods, leading to superior properties for the individual components. Herein, recent progress on the development of MS-M-NRs is reviewed. Their precise fabrication, nanoscale manipulation, and subwavelength imaging, as well as simultaneous manipulation and imaging are discussed, respectively. Specifically, precise fabrication of MS-M-NRs focuses on porous anodic alumina (PAA) templated electrodeposition, which enables sub-10 nm growth of the segments and their interfaces/fronts. Nanoscale manipulation of MS-M-NRs introduces the fundamental methods that are employed for delicate movement control on the nanorods through internal or external stimulations. Subwavelength imaging of MS-M-NRs highlights the achievements on identification and location of constituent nanoscale segments/gaps based on their differences and interactions. Simultaneous manipulation and imaging of MS-M-NRs addresses the significance and potential applications of the nanorods with magnetic-plasmonic dual modulation. The development of MS-M-NRs will greatly contribute to materials science and nanoscience/nanotechnology.

Robust Assembly of Colloidal Nanoparticles for Controlled-Reflectance Surface Construction

Controlled placement of nanoscale particles with nanometer precision on substrates/surfaces is highly desired toward functional nanodevices. Herein, we report the robust assembly of colloidal nanoparticles onto nanostructured aluminum surfaces. The surfaces are configured by porous anodic alumina (PAA) membranes on top of textured aluminum substrates. Capillary force and geometry confinement enable rapid and precise transfer of colloidal nanoparticles from solutions into PAA templates. Such top-down control of bottom-up assembly demonstrates large-area (>1 × 1 cm²) integration of nanoscale particles with exceedingly high yield (>95%) and exceptionally high density (>10¹⁰ particles/cm²). The plasmonic coupling between gold nanoparticles and aluminum surfaces, as well as between adjacent nanoparticles, is responsible for the unique reflectance from the assembled surfaces. The reflectance minimum (resonant absorption) can be readily shifted from visible to near-infrared by simple structural variation. The apparent surface colors are thus broadly manipulated. Our work offers a straightforward platform toward construction of surfaces with controlled reflectance.

Linear self-assembly and grafting of gold nanorods into arrayed micrometer-long nanowires on a silicon wafer via a combined top-down/bottom-up approach

Macroscopically long wire-like arrangements of gold nanoparticles were obtained by controlled evaporation and partial coalescence of an aqueous colloidal solution of capped CTAB-Au nanorods onto a functionalised 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) silicon substrate, using a removable, silicon wafer with a hydrophobic surface that serves as a "handrail" for the initial nanorods' linear self-assembly. The wire-like structures display a quasi-continuous pattern by thermal annealing of the gold nanorods when the solvent (i.e. water) is evaporated at temperatures rising from 20°C to 140°C. Formation of both single and self-replicating parallel 1D-superstructures consisting of two or even three wires is observed and explained under such conditions.

Fourier Transform Surface Plasmon Resonance (FTSPR) with Gyromagnetic Plasmonic Nanorods

An unprecedented active and dynamic sensing platform based on a LSPR configuration that is modulated by using an external magnetic field is reported. Electrochemically synthesized Au/Fe/Au nanorods exhibited plasmonically active behavior through plasmonic coupling, and the middle ferromagnetic Fe block responded to a magnetic impetus, allowing the nanorods to be modulated. The shear force variation induced by the specific binding events between antigens and antibodies on the nanorod surface is used to enhance the sensitivity of detection of antigens in the plasmonics-based sensor application. As a proof-of-concept, influenza A virus (HA1) was used as a target protein. The limit of detection was enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared to that of traditional LSPR sensing.

Tailoring Staircase-like Hysteresis Loops in Electrodeposited Trisegmented Magnetic Nanowires: a Strategy toward Minimization of Interwire Interactions

A new strategy to minimize magnetic interactions between nanowires (NWs) dispersed in a fluid is proposed. Such a strategy consists of preparing trisegmented NWs containing two antiparallel ferromagnetic segments with dissimilar coercivity separated by a nonmagnetic spacer. The trisegmented NWs exhibit a staircase-like hysteresis loop with tunable shape that depends on the relative length of the soft- and hard-magnetic segments and the respective values of saturation magnetization. Such NWs are prepared by electrodepositing CoPt/Cu/Ni in a polycarbonate (PC) membrane. The antiparallel alignment is set by applying suitable magnetic fields while the NWs are still embedded in the PC membrane. Analytic calculations are used to demonstrate that the interaction magnetic energy from fully compensated trisegmented NWs with antiparallel alignment is reduced compared to a single-component NW with the same length or the trisegmented NWs with the two ferromagnetic counterparts parallel to each other. The proposed approach is appealing for the use of magnetic NWs in certain biological or catalytic applications where the aggregation of NWs is detrimental for optimized performance.

Mechanochemical stimulation of MCF7 cells with rod-shaped Fe-Au Janus particles induces cell death through paradoxical hyperactivation of ERK

Multifunctional nanoparticles that actively target-specific tissues are studied for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Magnetically and optically active particles are of particular interest because they enable multiple imaging modalities and physically modulated therapies, such as magnetic hyperthermia. Fe-Au nanorods are synthesized that have a long iron segment, coated with polyethylene glycol, and a short gold tip functionalized with heregulin (HRG), a known ligand of ErbB family of receptors. HRG-nanorods preferentially target MCF7 cells relative to MDA-MB-231 cells, as demonstrated in a novel microfluidics device. Targeting rates of these classical breast cancer cells correlate with their differential expression of ErbB2/3 receptors. HRG-nanorod binding stimulates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK) phosphorylation in MCF7 cells. The increase in ERK phosphorylation is linked to "active zones," dynamic regions in the cell periphery, which exhibit higher rates of particle binding than the rest of the cell. Periodically stretching cells using magnetic tweezers further activates ERK, which leads to cell death in cells co-treated with B-Raf inhibitors, through ERK hyperactivation. Although to a lesser extent, cell death is also achieved through magnetic hyperthermia. These results demonstrate nanoscale targeting and localized mechanochemical treatment of specific cancer cell lines based on their receptor expression using multifunctional nanoparticles.

In vitro study of the interaction of heregulin-functionalized magnetic–optical nanorods with MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells

Multifunctional nanoparticles that actively target specific cells are promising tools for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this article we review the synthesis and surface chemistry of Fe–Au nanorods and their characterization using microscopy. The diameter of the rods used in this study was selected to be 150–200 nm so that they did not enter the cells. The 80 nm-long Au tips of the nanorods were functionalized with heregulin (HRG), and the micron-long Fe portion was coated with a poly(ethylene glycol) monolayer to minimize non-specific interactions. Nanorods functionalized with HRG were found to preferentially bind to MCF7 cells that express high levels of the receptor tyrosine-protein kinase ErbB2/3. Magnetic tweezers measurements were used to characterize the kinetic properties of the bond between the HRG on the rods and ErbB2/3 on the surface of the cells. The strong magnetization of Fe–Au nanorods makes them excellent candidates for in-vitro and in-vivo imaging, and magnetic therapeutic applications targeting cancer cells in circulation.