Gold nanorodassembly based approach to toxin detection by SERS

A novel, rapid and ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) immunoassay for the detection of microcystin LR was developed based on the assembly of gold nanorods (GNRs). GNRs were assembled into nanorod chains through the bio-recognition. The SERS signal of the probe molecule modified to the end of the NRs could be enhanced due to the hot spot between the NRs. Meanwhile, the finite integration technique simulation revealed that the electrical field of nanorods was increased obviously depending on the degree of end to end assembled structures. The research results demonstrated that the linear detection range was from 0.01 ng mL−1 to 5 ng mL−1, the limit of detection was 5 pg mL−1, and the time necessary for the analysis was only 15 min.