Optimizing Au/Ag core-shell nanorods: purification, stability, and surface modification

The purification, stability, and surface modification of Au/Ag core-shell nanorods (Au/Ag NRs) in a biological buffer solution were systematically studied for the first time. In this study, Au/Ag NRs were synthesized by chemically reducing silver on the surface of gold nanorods using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant and then purified by centrifugation washing. Based on the analysis of UV-Vis absorption spectra, TEM images, Raman spectra, and the xi-potential, it was observed that after the second washing step, the Au/Ag NRs displayed good stability and high surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement. When the as-prepared Au/Ag NRs were centrifuged more than twice, a structural transition in the surfactant layer was manifested with a sudden increase in the Raman signal intensities at 760 and 1,455 cm(-1). Moreover, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA) was used as a Raman reporter molecule to investigate the SERS characteristics of the purified Au/Ag NRs. The Raman signal intensity was enhanced with increasing the concentration of 4MBA and reached its highest intensity at the saturation concentration of 1.0 A mu M 4MBA in a 5 ml solution of the purified Au/Ag NRs. To prevent significant aggregation of the 4MBA-tagged Au/Ag NRs, a poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) layer was assembled on the nanorod surfaces by electrostatic adsorption for further surface modification, which made the 4MBA-tagged Au/Ag NRs suitable for the labeled biosensing. Subsequently, the characteristics of the PSS-coated Au/Ag NRs were demonstrated for the potential applications of label-free biosensing.