title: Gold nanodome-patterned microchips for intracellular surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: While top-down substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offer outstanding control and reproducibility of the gold nanopatterns and their related localized surface plasmon resonance, intracellular SERS experiments heavily rely on gold nanoparticles. These nanoparticles often result in varying and uncontrollable enhancement factors. Here we demonstrate the use of top-down gold-nanostructured microchips for intracellular sensing. We develop a tunable and reproducible fabrication scheme for these microchips. Furthermore we observe the intracellular uptake of these structures, and find no immediate influence on cell viability. Finally, we perform a proof-of-concept intracellular SERS experiment by the label-free detection of extraneous molecules. By bringing top-down SERS substrates to the intracellular world, we set an important step towards time-dependent and quantitative intracellular SERS.
authors.affiliation: Photonics Research Group, INTEC Department, Ghent University-imec, Ghent, Belgium. pieter.wuytens@ugent.be and Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wuytens
authors.affiliation: Photonics Research Group, INTEC Department, Ghent University-imec, Ghent, Belgium. pieter.wuytens@ugent.be and Center for Nano and Biophotonics, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ananth Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Dept. Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Winnok H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and Center for Nano and Biophotonics, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Andre G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Skirtach
authors.affiliation: Photonics Research Group, INTEC Department, Ghent University-imec, Ghent, Belgium. pieter.wuytens@ugent.be and Center for Nano and Biophotonics, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baets
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012235:Rhodamines; D006046:Gold