HIGH-CONDUCTIVE NANOSTRUCTURES IN BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES: FLUORESCENCE ENHANCING

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical studies of quenching and enhancement of fluorescence by colloidal solutions of nanoparticles and arrays of nanostructures on solid substrates — nanochips. The literature data and the results of authors’ own studies on the possibility of fluorescence signal manipulation in the presence of gold and silver nanostructures were shown. Mathematical modeling and comparative investigation of the samples with high-conductive metal nanostructures as active elements for the regulation of fluorescence signal were also performed. Nanochips samples were fabricated by thermal annealing of highly conductive gold and silver island films. Using developed novel laser-based fluorometer FluorotestNano it was shown that fluorescence intensity of Rhodamine 6G dye can be enhanced up to 23 times near gold nanostructures by spacing the dye from the nanoparticle at the distance of 20 nm using SiO2 coating. Using high-conductive metal nanostructures to adjust the fluorescence signal opens promising new directions in biochemical studies, such as increasing the sensitivity of fluorescence methods, development of new biosensors, fluorescence microscopy techniques and medical diagnostics.

Keywords

• nanostructure arrays
• gold and silver nanoparticles
• surface-enhanced fluorescence
• polymer matrix