Nanostructured diamond layers enhance the infrared spectroscopy of biomolecules
Language English Country United States Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PubMed
24524343
DOI
10.1021/la404814c
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- MeSH
- Diamond chemistry MeSH
- Sensitivity and Specificity MeSH
- Serum Albumin, Bovine chemistry MeSH
- Cattle MeSH
- Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared instrumentation methods MeSH
- Gold chemistry MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Cattle MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Diamond MeSH
- Serum Albumin, Bovine MeSH
- Gold MeSH
We report on the fabrication and practical use of high-quality optical elements based on Au mirrors coated with diamond layers with flat, nanocolumnar, and nanoporous morphologies. Diamond layers (100 nm thickness) are grown at low temperatures (about 300 °C) from a methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen gas mixture by a pulsed microwave plasma system with linear antennas. Using grazing angle reflectance (GAR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with p-polarized light, we compare the IR spectra of fetal bovine serum proteins adsorbed on diamond layers with oxidized (hydrophilic) surfaces. We show that the nanoporous diamond layers provide IR spectra with a signal gain of about 600% and a significantly improved sensitivity limit. This is attributed to its enhanced internal surface area. The improved sensitivity enabled us to distinguish weak infrared absorption peaks of <10-nm-thick protein layers and thereby to analyze the intimate diamond-molecule interface.
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