Applications of gold nanoparticles in virus detection

Draz, Mohamed Shehata; Shafiee, Hadi

Because of the direct relationship between AuNP size and shape and their function as labels, such characteristics are also of inherent importance to both the performance of Au nanoprobes and their efficiency for diagnostic applications. For instance, small AuNPs are preferred in colorimetric and light scattering-based assays due to their SPR band sensitivity. In contrast, large AuNPs are preferentially employed in assays such as BCA, immuno-PCR, and enzymatic-based electrochemical detection techniques, which rely on the surface functionalization of AuNPs with targeting or signaling biomolecules. Additionally, a large NP size is highly desirable in assays that depend on AuNPs as metal labels, such as electrochemical stripping, QCM, and ICP-MS detection methods. In addition, spherical AuNPs are more commonly applied than rod-shaped NPs. However, the latter exclusively enable a very interesting class of LSPR-based detection methods that have shown an unprecedented detection sensitivity range.