Professors Caryn Seney of Mercer University and Robin Bright of Fort Valley State College are supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program to optimize surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signals from antibody/antigen interactions using mixed silver and gold nanoparticles. The new idea is to use gold nanoparticles to immobilize proteins without the structural degradation sometimes induced by silver nanoparticles, while the subsequent addition of silver provides enhancement of the SERS signal.
This project links two undergraduate institutions in Georgia, separated by 30 miles, one (FVSC), an HBCU. Undergraduate students, including some from underrepresented groups, are being introduced to a timely combination of nanomaterials, spectroscopy, immunochemistry and bioanalyte detection. The project provides fundamental background for biosensor development.
