Hybrid Graphene Oxide Based Ultrasensitive SERS Probe for Label-Free Biosensing

A metal nanoparticle attached to graphene oxide has the ability to open a new avenue of research with significant opportunities in the biomedical field. In this Letter, we report graphene oxide attached to a popcorn-shaped gold nanoparticle based hybrid SERS probe with ultrasensitive label-free sensing of HIV DNA and bacteria and provide its chemical fingerprint. Our SERS data with the hybrid material shows that it can be used for label-free detection of HIV DNA on the femto-molar level without any labeling. Experimental data with a novel SERS substrate show excellent reproducibility of the SERS signal. The current Letter demonstrates that the label-free SERS detection limit using a hybrid material can be as low as 10 CFU/mL for MRSA bacteria. The possible mechanism for very high sensitivity has been discussed.