Article abstract
Nature Materials 4, 86 - 92 (2004)
Published online: 12 December 2004 | doi:10.1038/nmat1276
Subject Categories: Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Sensors and biosensors | Nanoscale materials
Near-infrared optical sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes
Paul W. Barone1,3, Seunghyun Baik1,3, Daniel A. Heller2 & Michael S. Strano1
Abstract
Molecular detection using near-infrared light between 0.9 and 1.3 eV has important biomedical applications because of greater tissue penetration and reduced auto-fluorescent background in thick tissue or whole-blood media. Carbon nanotubes have a tunable near-infrared emission that responds to changes in the local dielectric function but remains stable to permanent photobleaching. In this work, we report the synthesis and successful testing of solution-phase, near-infrared sensors, with 
-D-glucose sensing as a model system, using single-walled carbon nanotubes that modulate their emission in response to the adsorption of specific biomolecules. New types of non-covalent functionalization using electron-withdrawing molecules are shown to provide sites for transferring electrons in and out of the nanotube. We also show two distinct mechanisms of signal transduction—fluorescence quenching and charge transfer. The results demonstrate new opportunities for nanoparticle optical sensors that operate in strongly absorbing media of relevance to medicine or biology.
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, 505 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- These authors contributed equally
Correspondence to: Michael S. Strano1 e-mail: strano@uiuc.edu
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