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Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages

Publication ,  Journal Article
Atta, S; Zhao, Y; Sanchez, S; Yampolsky, SV; Vo-Dinh, T
Published in: Analytical Chemistry
April 1, 2025

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) are widely recognized as cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic tools (POCT) for infectious disease diagnosis. Despite their widespread use, traditional colorimetric LFIAs, which rely on gold nanospheres (GNP), are constrained by a limited sensitivity. To overcome this challenge, we have engineered gold nanocages (GNCs) with optimized core-to-shell morphologies, achieving significant amplification of both colorimetric and photothermal LFIA readout signals. The distinctive morphology of GNCs, featuring adjustable core-to-shell gap thicknesses, enables fine-tuning of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak across a broad spectral range from 600 to 1200 nm. Among the GNC morphologies evaluated, the optimized GNC (GNC-4), characterized by its larger size and maximal core-to-shell gap thickness, exhibited superior color brightness and enhanced photothermal efficiency compared to other GNC morphologies and traditional GNP. The enhanced performance of GNC-4 enabled the detection of influenza A (H1N1), used as the model analyte, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.8 ng/mL via colorimetric analysis and 1.51 pg/mL using photothermal LFIA. Compared to traditional GNP-based colorimetric LFIA detection, the colorimetric sensitivity of the GNC-4-based LFIA was enhanced by 7-fold, while the photothermal detection sensitivity showed an improvement of over 8000-fold. By incorporating a portable smartphone-based photothermal LFIA platform, our dual-modal LFIA exhibits high sensitivity, practicality in detecting H1N1 in spiked saliva samples, and long-term stability over five months, making it a promising tool for infectious disease detection and a potential model for diagnosing other pathogens.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Analytical Chemistry

DOI

EISSN

1520-6882

ISSN

0003-2700

Publication Date

April 1, 2025

Volume

97

Issue

12

Start / End Page

6427 / 6437

Related Subject Headings

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • 4004 Chemical engineering
  • 3401 Analytical chemistry
  • 3205 Medical biochemistry and metabolomics
  • 0399 Other Chemical Sciences
  • 0301 Analytical Chemistry
 

Citation

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Atta, S., Zhao, Y., Sanchez, S., Yampolsky, S. V., & Vo-Dinh, T. (2025). Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages. Analytical Chemistry, 97(12), 6427–6437. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05384
Atta, S., Y. Zhao, S. Sanchez, S. V. Yampolsky, and T. Vo-Dinh. “Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages.” Analytical Chemistry 97, no. 12 (April 1, 2025): 6427–37. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05384.
Atta S, Zhao Y, Sanchez S, Yampolsky SV, Vo-Dinh T. Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages. Analytical Chemistry. 2025 Apr 1;97(12):6427–37.
Atta, S., et al. “Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages.” Analytical Chemistry, vol. 97, no. 12, Apr. 2025, pp. 6427–37. Scopus, doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05384.
Atta S, Zhao Y, Sanchez S, Yampolsky SV, Vo-Dinh T. Plasmonics-Enhanced Dual-Modal Colorimetric and Photothermal Lateral Flow Immunoassay Using Gold Nanocages. Analytical Chemistry. 2025 Apr 1;97(12):6427–6437.
Journal cover image

Published In

Analytical Chemistry

DOI

EISSN

1520-6882

ISSN

0003-2700

Publication Date

April 1, 2025

Volume

97

Issue

12

Start / End Page

6427 / 6437

Related Subject Headings

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • 4004 Chemical engineering
  • 3401 Analytical chemistry
  • 3205 Medical biochemistry and metabolomics
  • 0399 Other Chemical Sciences
  • 0301 Analytical Chemistry