Bioconjugate functionalization of thermally carbonized porous silicon using a radical coupling reaction.

The high stability of Salonen's thermally carbonized porous silicon (TCPSi) has attracted attention for environmental and biochemical sensing applications, where corrosion-induced zero point drift of porous silicon-based sensor elements has historically been a significant problem. Prepared by the high temperature reaction of porous silicon with acetylene gas, the stability of this silicon carbide-like material also poses a challenge--many sensor applications require a functionalized surface, and the low reactivity of TCPSi has limited the ability to chemically modify its surface. This work presents a simple reaction to modify the surface of TCPSi with an alkyl carboxylate. The method involves radical coupling of a dicarboxylic acid (sebacic acid) to the TCPSi surface using a benzoyl peroxide initiator. The grafted carboxylic acid species provides a route for bioconjugate chemical modification, demonstrated in this work by coupling propylamine to the surface carboxylic acid group through the intermediacy of pentafluorophenol and 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). The stability of the carbonized porous Si surface, both before and after chemical modification, is tested in phosphate buffered saline solution and found to be superior to either hydrosilylated (with undecylenic acid) or thermally oxidized porous Si surfaces.

A stable, label-free optical interferometric biosensor based on TiO2 nanotube arrays.

Optical interferometry of a thin film array of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes allows the label-free sensing of rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG). A protein A capture probe is used, which is immobilized on the inner pore walls of the nanotubes by electrostatic adsorption. Control experiments using IgG from chicken (which does not bind to protein A) confirms the specificity of the protein A-modified TiO2 nanotube array sensor. The aqueous stability of the TiO2 nanotube array was examined and compared with porous silica (SiO2), a more extensively studied thin film optical biosensor. The TiO2 nanotube array is stable in the pH range 2 to 12, whereas the porous SiO2 sensor displays significant degradation at pH > 8.

A label-free porous alumina interferometric immunosensor.

Anodization of Al is used to produce optically smooth porous alumina (Al(2)O(3)) films with pores approximately 60 nm in diameter and approximately 6 mum deep. The capture protein, protein A, is adsorbed to the pore walls by noncovalent, electrostatic interactions, and thin film interference spectroscopy is used to detect binding of immunoglobulin (IgG). The porous alumina films are stable against corrosion and dissolution in aqueous media at pH 7, allowing quantitative monitoring of steady-state and time-resolved biomolecular binding. The bare porous Al(2)O(3) surface displays a significantly greater affinity for protein A than for IgG. The known species specificity of protein A binding to IgG is confirmed; the protein-A-modified sensor responds to IgG derived from rabbit, but not chicken (IgG/IgY). A "cascaded", or multiprobe sensing approach, is demonstrated, in which a specific target, sheep IgG, is administered to a sample modified with a protein A/rabbit anti-sheep IgG assembly. Binding measurements are confirmed by fluorescence microscopy using fluorescein-labeled IgG.

The compatibility of hepatocytes with chemically modified porous silicon with reference to in vitro biosensors.

Porous Si is a nanostructured material that is of interest for molecular and cell-based biosensing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. Surface chemistry is an important factor determining the stability of porous Si in aqueous media, its affinity for various biomolecular species, and its compatibility with tissues. In this study, the attachment and viability of a primary cell type to porous Si samples containing various surface chemistries is reported, and the ability of the porous Si films to retain their optical reflectivity properties relevant to molecular biosensing is assessed. Four chemical species grafted to the porous Si surface are studied: silicon oxide (via ozone oxidation), dodecyl (via hydrosilylation with dodecene), undecanoic acid (via hydrosilylation with undecylenic acid), and oligo(ethylene) glycol (via hydrosilylation with undecylenic acid followed by an oligo(ethylene) glycol coupling reaction). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and contact angle measurements are used to characterize the surface. Adhesion and short-term viability of primary rat hepatocytes on these surfaces, with and without pre-adsorption of collagen type I, are assessed using vital dyes (calcein-AM and ethidium homodimer I). Cell viability on undecanoic acid-terminated porous Si, oxide-terminated porous Si, and oxide-terminated flat (non-porous) Si are monitored by quantification of albumin production over the course of 8 days. The stability of porous Si thin films after 8 days in cell culture is probed by measuring the optical interferometric reflectance spectra. Results show that hepatocytes adhere better to surfaces coated with collagen, and that chemical modification does not exert a deleterious effect on primary rat hepatocytes. The hydrosilylation chemistry greatly improves the stability of porous Si in contact with cultured primary cells while allowing cell coverage levels comparable to standard culture preparations on tissue culture polystyrene.

Porous SiO2 interferometric biosensor for quantitative determination of protein interactions: binding of protein A to immunoglobulins derived from different species.

Determination of kinetic and thermodynamic protein binding constants using interferometry from a porous Si Fabry-Perot layer is presented. A protein A capture probe is adsorbed within the pores of an oxidized porous Si matrix, and binding of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies derived from different species is investigated. The relative protein A/IgG binding affinity is human > rabbit > goat, in agreement with literature values. The equilibrium binding constant (Ka) for human IgG binding to surface-immobilized protein A is determined to be (3.0 +/- 0.5) x 107 M-1 using an equilibrium Langmuir model. Kinetic rate constants are calculated to be kd = (2.1 +/- 0.2) x 10-4 s-1 and ka = (1.2 +/- 0.4) x 104 M-1 s-1 using nonlinear least-squares analysis, yielding an equilibrium binding constant of Ka = (5.5 +/- 1.5) x 107 M-1. Both steady-state and time-dependent measurements yield equilibrium binding constants that are consistent with literature values. Kinetic rate constants determined through nonlinear least-squares analysis are also in agreement with protein A/IgG binding on a surface. Dosing with a high concentration of analyte leads to deviations from ideal binding behavior, interpreted in terms of restricted analyte diffusion within the porous SiO2 matrix. It is shown that the diffusion limitations can be minimized if the kinetic measurements are performed at low analyte concentrations or under conditions in which the protein A capture probe is not saturated with analyte. Potential limitations of the use of porous SiO2 interferometers for quantitative determination of protein binding constants are discussed.

The smart Petri dish: a nanostructured photonic crystal for real-time monitoring of living cells.

The intensity of light scattered from a porous Si photonic crystal is used to monitor physiological changes in primary rat hepatocytes. The cells are seeded on the surface of a porous Si photonic crystal that has been filled with polystyrene and treated with an O2 plasma. Light resonant with the photonic crystal is scattered by the cell layer and detected as an optical peak with a charge-coupled-device spectrometer. It is demonstrated that exposure of hepatocytes to the toxins cadmium chloride or acetaminophen leads to morphology changes that cause a measurable increase in scattered intensity. The increase in signal occurs before traditional assays are able to detect a decrease in viability, demonstrating the potential of the technique as a complementary tool for cell viability studies. The scattering method presented here is noninvasive and can be performed in real time, representing a significant advantage compared to other techniques for in vitro monitoring of cell morphology.