Surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites

In this paper, the core/shell Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites modified with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) were prepared and applied in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor. And the detailed investigation of Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites was separately performed by UV–vis spectroscopy and transmission electronic microscopy. As the magnetic property and exceptional optical properties, the Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites were used as the solid support for the goat anti-human IgM, which could be immobilized on the surface of SPR biosensor chip by a magnetic pillar. This novel method of immobilizing goat anti-human IgM simplified experimental procedures and facilitated the regeneration of the sensing membrane. In addition, the different diameter of Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites could be obtained with the different amount of MPA in the solution. And the effect of Fe3O4/Au nanocomposites with different diameters on the sensitivity of SPR biosensor was also explored. As a result, the SPR biosensor exhibits a satisfactory response for human IgM in the concentration range of 0.30–20.00 μg ml−1 and the increasing nanocomposite diameter is in favor of the sensitivity enhancement of SPR biosensor.