SERS studies of DNA nucleobases using new silver poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposites as analytical platforms

abstract

The implementation of polymer-based composites provides a plausible alternative to develop efficient, handy and scalable substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) aiming the widespread use of this technique for chemical analysis and molecular sensing. In this research, new poly(methylmethacrylate) based nanocomposites for SERS were prepared by in situ miniemulsion polymerization in the presence of organically capped metal silver nanoparticles. The ensuing composites have been investigated as analytical platforms for SERS detection of DNA constituents for variable analytical conditions. Finally, we show that in special cases, selective detection of DNA bases by SERS can be possible by varying the pH of the solution under analysis. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

keywords

ENHANCED RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY; NUCLEIC-ACIDS; METAL NANOPARTICLES; OPTICAL-PROPERTIES; SCATTERING; POLYMER; BASES; NANOSTRUCTURES; PARTICLES; ADENINE

subject category

Spectroscopy

authors

Pinheiro, PC; Fateixa, S; Nogueira, HIS; Trindade, T

our authors

acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia and FEDER (Pest-C/CTM/LA0011/2013). P.C. Pinheiro and S. Fateixa thank FCT for the grants SFRH/BD/96731/2013 and SFRH/BPD/93547/2013. We thank the RNME (National Electronic Microscopy Network) for microscopy facilities.

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