Plasmon-Induced Photoluminescence Immunoassay for Tuberculosis Monitoring Using Gold-Nanoparticle-Decorated Graphene

Metal-nanoparticle-functionalized graphene, in particular, graphene sheets containing Au nanoparticles (Au NPs), have generated considerable interest because of their unique optical and electrical characteristics. In this study, we successfully produced graphene sheets decorated with Au NPs (AuGrp) using phytochemicals as reducing agents. During this reaction, Au ions intercalated into the layered graphene flakes and were then reduced into NPs, exfoliating the graphene sheets. The physicochemical properties of the AuGrp nanocomposites were characterized, and the exfoliation process was investigated using a molecular dynamics simulation of Au NPs between graphene sheets. Our proposed technique is advantageous because the phytochemicals are mild reducing agents that preserve the graphene structure during exfoliation and NP decoration. The dispersity of the NPs on the graphene sheets was drastically improved due to the use of metal-ion intercalation. Moreover, the electrical conductivity was 6-30 times higher than that of bare graphene and reduced graphene oxide. Using antibody (Ab) modified AuGrp sheets and quantum dots, a plasmonic-induced photoluminescence immunoassay of tuberculosis (TB) antigen (aG) CFP-10 was demonstrated for a potential application of these materials. The enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) response was monitored depending on the various TB aG concentrations from 5.1 pg/mL to 51 μg/mL, and the detection limit for CFP-10 was 4.5 pg/mL. Furthermore, the selectivity was demonstrated with Ag85 as the other TB aG, and PL enhancement was not observed in this case. Therefore, AuGrp-based immunoassay showed the potential for biosensor application.