Metal nanomaterials, including gold and silver, have obtained tremendous attention due to their fascinating optical properties. Such properties make them great candidates for the development of optical sensors. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based sensors are one of the most well-known and popular sensors in recent research. In this work, we present effective methods to fabricate flexible silk films decorated with metallic nanomaterials, including gold and silver. Silk from silkworms has been used in a variety of biomedical applications due to its mechanical stability, versatility and biocompatibility. Such films are first prepared by charge modification of the silk film and then exposure to seed-mediated growth solutions to form gold or silver nanomaterials. Scanning electron microcopy was used to characterize the morphology of the resulting thin films. The results indicate that distribution and morphology of metallic nanomaterial can be controlled based on the surface charge of the silk and the seed growth conditions, which provides promising potential in developing novel biosensors. In addition, the SERS performances for both types of metallic silk films with various morphologies are conducted. The relationship between SERS results and the local morphology.

Metallic nanomaterial decorated silk thin films as biocompatible SERS substrate

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.