Functionlized AuNPs by dye materials for chemical sensor application

Functionalizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for various applications, such as chemical sensors and catalysts, is widely studied in many fields. In this study, Functionalization of AuNPs by using dye materials was performed to provide the response ability to chemicals, based on the coupling interactions between AuNPs and dyes, such as quenching of fluorescence by metal existence or metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF). While individual AuNPs or dyes do not indicate high response for most chemicals, the AuNP/dye complexes showed enhanced or novel chemical responses owing to the interactions between AuNPs and dyes. The response abilities of the complexes composed of AuNPs and several kinds of fluorescent dyes were studied, based on the changes of fluorescence intensity due to the presence of chemicals. The change of fluorescence spectra of the dye/AuNPs complexes in the presence of odor chemicals was investigated in order to develop odor imaging sensors with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity.