Enhanced luminescence from nanopolished surfaces and plate wells
AssigneeUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County
InventorsCHRIS D. GEDDES, ANATOLIY I. DRAGAN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a new silver coating/nanoparticle scaffold that significantly enhances the luminescence of near-field fluorophores via the metal enhanced fluorescence phenomenon. The silver coating/nanoparticle scaffold can be used for numerous applications in metal-enhanced fluorescence.
Claims19
A substrate comprising a multiplicity of discrete metallic layers, wherein each layer comprises discrete metallic nanoparticles thereby providing the substrate with enhanced luminescence.
A method of fabricating a metallized substrate that includes multiple layers of metallic nanoparticles that exhibit increased metal enhanced fluorescence, the method comprising:
- a) providing a substrate;
- b) providing a metal containing solution, wherein the metal has plasmonic activity, contacting the metal containing solution with the substrate and heating same to a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 60° C. for a deposition time period ranging from 1 minute to 7 minutes to provide for deposition of metallic nanoparticles;
- c) transferring the heated substrate to a freezing chamber for a time period ranging from about 1 minute to 4 minutes to form a chilled substrate;
- d) transferring the chilled substrate back to a heating environment for a time period as in step b) or shorter than the previous heating period and in the same heating temperature range;
- e) removing the solution;
- and
- f) repeating steps b) and c) for at least one more time and more preferably from 4 to 19 times to provide a multiplicity of layers of metallic nanoparticles, wherein the nanoparticles are discrete and substantially the same size.
The method of claim 3, wherein the metal containing solution further comprising NaOH having a concentration of about 5% to about 20% in an amount from about 50 ul to about 100 ul, NH4OH having a concentration of about 20% to 40% in an amount from about 300 ul to about 700 ul and glucose in an amount from about 2 ml to about 7 ml to provide from about 5 to 15% w/v of glucose.
A detection method exhibiting increased fluorescence emitted from the system during metal-enhanced fluorescence sensing, the detection method comprising:
- i) providing a metallized surface container with a multiplicities of layers of metallic nanoparticles, the metallized surface container fabricated by the following method,
- a) providing a plasma cleaned substrate type container having at least a bottom point and sides attached to the bottom point;
- b) providing a silver containing solution and pouring into the plasma cleaned substrate container and heating same to a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 50° C. for a time period ranging from 1 minute to 4 minutes to form a heated substrate;
- c) transferring the heated substrate to a freezing chamber for a time period range from about 1 minute to 4 minutes to form a cold substrate;
- d) transferring the cold substrate back to a heating environment for a time being the same as step b) or shorter than the previous heating period;
- e) removing the solution;
- and
- f) repeating steps b) and c) from at least one more time, and more preferably from about 4 to 19 times to provide a multiplicity of layers of silver nanoparticles, wherein the nanoparticles are distinct and substantially the same size;
- ii) providing an intrinsic or extrinsic fluorophore for disposing near the near the surface of the top layer of nanoparticles;
- iii) exciting the fluorophore with an electromagnetic source to cause fluorescing;
- and
- iv) measuring the emissions from the system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.