Molecular imprinted polymer-coated optical fiber sensor for the identification of low molecular weight molecules.

A biomimetic optical probe for detecting low molecular weight molecules (maltol, 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one, molecular weight of 126.11 g/mol), was designed, fabricated, and characterized. The sensor couples a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) and the Bragg grating refractometry technology into an optical fiber. The probe is fabricated first by inscribing tilted grating planes in the core of the fiber, and then by photopolymerization to immobilize a maltol imprinted MIP on the fiber cladding surface over the Bragg grating. The sensor response to the presence of maltol in different media is obtained by spectral interrogation of the fiber transmission signal. The results showed that the limit of detection of the sensor reached 1 ng/mL in pure water with a sensitivity of 6.3 × 10(8)pm/M. The selectivity of the sensor against other compounds and its reusability were also studied experimentally. Finally, the unambiguous detection of concentrations as little as 10nM of maltol in complex media (real food samples) by the MIP-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating sensor was demonstrated.

Improved detection limits of protein optical fiber biosensors coated with gold nanoparticles.

The study presented herein investigates a novel arrangement of fiber-optic biosensors based on a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) coated with noble metal nanoparticles, either gold nanocages (AuNC) or gold nanospheres (AuNS). The biosensors constructed for this study demonstrated increased specificity and lowered detection limits for the target protein than a reference sensor without gold nanoparticles. The sensing film was fabricated by a series of thin-film and monolayer depositions to attach the gold nanoparticles to the surface of the TFBG using only covalent bonds. Though the gold nanoparticle integration had not yet been optimized for the most efficient coverage with minimum number of nanoparticles, binding AuNS and AuNC to the TFBG biosensor decreased the minimum detected target concentrations from 90 nM for the reference sensor, to 11 pM and 8 pM respectively. This improvement of minimum detection is the result of a reduced non-specific absorption onto the gold nanoparticles (by functionalization of the external surface of the gold nanoparticles), and of an optical field enhancement due to coupling between the photonic modes of the optical fiber and the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) of the gold nanoparticles. This coupling also increased the sensitivity of the TFBG biosensor to changes in its local environment. The dissociation constant (Kd) of the target protein was also characterized with our sensing platform and found to be in good agreement with that of previous studies.

High resolution grating-assisted surface plasmon resonance fiber optic aptasensor.

A surface plasmon resonance biochemical sensor based on a tilted fiber Bragg grating imprinted in a single mode fiber core is demonstrated. A 30-50 nm thick gold coating on the cladding of the fiber provides the support for surface plasmon waves whose interaction with attached biomolecules is monitored at near infrared wavelengths near 1,550 nm. The transmission spectrum of the sensor provides a fine comb of narrowband resonances that overlap with the broader absorption of the surface plasmon and thus provide a unique tool to measure small shifts of the plasmon with high accuracy. The attachment on the gold surfaces of aptamers with specific affinities for proteins provides the required target-analyte system and is shown to be functional in the framework of our sensing device. The implementation of the sensor either as a stand-alone device or as part of a multi-sensor platform is also described.

Highly hydrophilic surfaces from polyglycidol grafts with dual antifouling and specific protein recognition properties.

Homopolymer grafts from α-tert-butoxy-ω-vinylbenzyl-polyglycidol (PGL) were prepared on gold and stainless steel (SS) substrates modified by 4-benzoyl-phenyl (BP) moieties derived from the electroreduction of the parent salt 4-benzoyl benzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate. The grafted BP aryl groups efficiently served to surface-initiate photopolymerization (SIPP) of PGL. In similar conditions, SIPP of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) permitted the production of PHEMA grafts as model surfaces. Water contact angles were found to be 66°, 15°, and 0° for SS-BP, SS-PHEMA, and SS-PPGL, respectively. The spontaneous spreading of water drops on SS-PPGL was invariably observed with 1.5 µL water drops. PPGL thus appears as a superhydrophilic polymer. Resistance to nonspecific adsorption of proteins of PPGL and PHEMA grafts on gold was evaluated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using antibovine serum albumin (anti-BSA). The results conclusively show that PPGL-grafts exhibit enhanced resistance to anti-BSA adsorption compared to the well-known hydrophilic PHEMA. PPGL grafts were further modified with BSA through the carbonyldiimidazole activation of the OH groups providing immunosensing surfaces. The so-prepared PPGL-grafted BSA hybrids specifically interacted with anti-BSA in PBS as compared to antimyoglobin. It is clear that the superhydrophilic character of PPGL grafts opens new avenues for biomedical applications where surfaces with dual functionality, namely, specific protein grafting together with resistance to biofouling, are required.