Graphene oxide biohybrid layer enhances sensitivity and anticorrosive properties in refractive index sensor

Graphene-based materials are capable of enhancing the refractometric response of prism- and optical fiber-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors; however, complicated multistep and time-consuming attaching processes could limit their practical applications. Herein, for the first time, we demo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JPhys photonics 2021-07, Vol.3 (3), p.34009
Main Authors: Alonso-Murias, Monserrat del C, Monzón-Hernández, David, Gravagnuolo, Alfredo Maria, Márquez, Salomón, Giardina, Paola, Morales-Narváez, Eden
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2D materials
Biosensors
Chromium
Corrosion prevention
fiber optic
Fungi
Gold
Gold coatings
Graphene
hydrophobins
Immersion coating
Optical fibers
Proteins
Refractivity
refractometer
Saline water
Self-assembly
Sensitivity enhancement
surface plasmon resonance
sustainable materials
Thin films
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Summary:Graphene-based materials are capable of enhancing the refractometric response of prism- and optical fiber-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors; however, complicated multistep and time-consuming attaching processes could limit their practical applications. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate the immobilization of graphene oxide (GO) submicrometric sheets onto the surface of a gold-coated single-mode fiber using a coating of fungal self-assembling proteins, the hydrophobins (HFBs), as an adhesive nanolayer. Hetero-core fiber tip SPR structures used in this study, consisting of a mirrored multimode–single-mode fiber structure coated with different thin layers (a chromium layer of 3 nm and a gold layer of 30 nm on top) exhibited a refractive index sensitivity (S RI ) of 1842 nm RIU −1 (RIU: refractive index unit) at a refractive index (RI) of 1.36. Self-assembly of GO over the SPR fiber tip via HFB, offered an enhancement of up to 20% in the S RI . Moreover, this HFB-GO coating prevented degradation of the Al thin film mirror caused by corrosive salt-water solutions. The process is very simple, harmless, rapid (around 15 min) and scalable, as it is mostly based on one plasma treatment, which can be performed in large chambers and two dip coating steps, in liquid baths. All these features make the use of self-assembled bio/non-bio hybrid coating a green industrial method to improve the performance of SPR fiber biosensors, if compared with traditional chemical methods. Materials applied in this technology, fungal proteins and derivatives of graphite, are sustainable and largely available.
ISSN:2515-7647
2515-7647
DOI:10.1088/2515-7647/abfa78