Hybridization of nanoscale metals and carbon nanotubes into composite nanomaterials has produced some of the best-performing sensors to date. The challenge remains to develop scalable nanofabrication methods that are amenable to the development of sensors with broad sensing ranges. A scalable nanostructured biosensor based on multilayered graphene petal nanosheets (MGPNs), Pt nanoparticles, and a biorecognition element (glucose oxidase) is presented. The combination of zero-dimensional nanoparticles on a two-dimensional support that is arrayed in the third dimension creates a sensor platform with exceptional characteristics. The versatility of the biosensor platform is demonstrated by altering biosensor performance (i.e., sensitivity, detection limit, and linear sensing range) through changing the size, density, and morphology of electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles on the MGPNs. This work enables a robust sensor design that demonstrates exceptional performance with enhanced glucose sensitivity (0.3 µ M detection limit, 0.01-50 m M linear sensing range), a long stable shelf-life ( > 1 month), and a high selectivity over electroactive, interfering species commonly found in human serum samples.

No abstract

We report a unique substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on Au nanoparticle-decorated, thin graphitic petals. The petals were grown on Si substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition without catalyst, followed by Au nanoparticle decoration on the oxygen plasma-treated petals by electrodeposition. The substrates possess high surface area and sharp nanoscale features that enable high SERS sensitivity to detect 1×10−7 M rhodamine 6G in methanol solution. The obtained SERS enhancement is comparable to the best values reported in the literature and is determined to result from high surface area and increased density of Au nanoparticles on the petal surfaces.

We report a catalyst-free synthesis of cantilevered carbon nanosheet extensions, or petals, from graphite fibers by microwave plasma CVD. Results reveal that the petals grow from the fiber surface layers while preserving graphitic continuity from fiber to the petals. Subtraction of Raman signatures from pristine and decorated fibers reveals a convolution of two underlying peaks at 2687 and 2727 cm−1 that are consistent with profiles of multilayer graphene flakes between 5 and 25 layers. Such structures offer the possibility of minimizing interfacial losses in transport applications, improved interactions with surrounding matrix materials in composites, and a route toward substrate independence for device applications.