@article{PacholskiRosencrantzRosencrantzetal.2020, author = {Pacholski, Claudia and Rosencrantz, Sophia and Rosencrantz, Ruben R. and Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola}, title = {Plasmonic biosensors fabricated by galvanic displacement reactions for monitoring biomolecular interactions in real time}, series = {Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry : a merger of Fresenius' journal of analytical chemistry, Analusis and Quimica analitica}, volume = {412}, journal = {Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry : a merger of Fresenius' journal of analytical chemistry, Analusis and Quimica analitica}, number = {14}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, issn = {1618-2642}, doi = {10.1007/s00216-020-02414-0}, pages = {3433 -- 3445}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Optical sensors are prepared by reduction of gold ions using freshly etched hydride-terminated porous silicon, and their ability to specifically detect binding between protein A/rabbit IgG and asialofetuin/Erythrina cristagalli lectin is studied. The fabrication process is simple, fast, and reproducible, and does not require complicated lab equipment. The resulting nanostructured gold layer on silicon shows an optical response in the visible range based on the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance. Variations in the refractive index of the surrounding medium result in a color change of the sensor which can be observed by the naked eye. By monitoring the spectral position of the localized surface plasmon resonance using reflectance spectroscopy, a bulk sensitivity of 296 nm +/- 3 nm/RIU is determined. Furthermore, selectivity to target analytes is conferred to the sensor through functionalization of its surface with appropriate capture probes. For this purpose, biomolecules are deposited either by physical adsorption or by covalent coupling. Both strategies are successfully tested, i.e., the optical response of the sensor is dependent on the concentration of respective target analyte in the solution facilitating the determination of equilibrium dissociation constants for protein A/rabbit IgG as well as asialofetuin/Erythrina cristagalli lectin which are in accordance with reported values in literature. These results demonstrate the potential of the developed optical sensor for cost-efficient biosensor applications.}, language = {en} } @misc{BehrensBalischewskiSperlichetal.2022, author = {Behrens, Karsten and Balischewski, Christian and Sperlich, Eric and Menski, Antonia Isabell and Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Pacholski, Claudia and G{\"u}nter, Christina and Lubahn, Susanne and Kelling, Alexandra and Taubert, Andreas}, title = {Mixed chloridometallate(ii) ionic liquids with tunable color and optical response for potential ammonia sensors}, series = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {1316}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58751}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-587512}, pages = {35072 -- 35082}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Eight d-metal-containing N-butylpyridinium ionic liquids (ILs) with the nominal composition (C4Py)2[Ni0.5M0.5Cl4] or (C4Py)2[Zn0.5M0.5Cl4] (M = Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Zn; C4Py = N-butylpyridinium) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for their optical properties. Single crystal and powder X-ray analysis shows that the compounds are isostructural to existing examples based on other d-metal ions. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy measurements confirm that the metal/metal ratio is around 50 : 50. UV-Vis spectroscopy shows that the optical absorption can be tuned by selection of the constituent metals. Moreover, the compounds can act as an optical sensor for the detection of gases such as ammonia as demonstrated via a simple prototype setup.}, language = {en} } @article{BehrensBalischewskiSperlichetal.2022, author = {Behrens, Karsten and Balischewski, Christian and Sperlich, Eric and Menski, Antonia Isabell and Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Pacholski, Claudia and G{\"u}nter, Christina and Lubahn, Susanne and Kelling, Alexandra and Taubert, Andreas}, title = {Mixed chloridometallate(ii) ionic liquids with tunable color and optical response for potential ammonia sensors}, series = {RSC Advances}, volume = {12}, journal = {RSC Advances}, publisher = {RSC}, address = {London}, issn = {2046-2069}, doi = {10.1039/d2ra05581c}, pages = {35072 -- 35082}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Eight d-metal-containing N-butylpyridinium ionic liquids (ILs) with the nominal composition (C4Py)2[Ni0.5M0.5Cl4] or (C4Py)2[Zn0.5M0.5Cl4] (M = Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Zn; C4Py = N-butylpyridinium) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for their optical properties. Single crystal and powder X-ray analysis shows that the compounds are isostructural to existing examples based on other d-metal ions. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy measurements confirm that the metal/metal ratio is around 50 : 50. UV-Vis spectroscopy shows that the optical absorption can be tuned by selection of the constituent metals. Moreover, the compounds can act as an optical sensor for the detection of gases such as ammonia as demonstrated via a simple prototype setup.}, language = {en} } @article{PolleyWernerBalderasValadezetal.2022, author = {Polley, Nabarun and Werner, Peter and Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Pacholski, Claudia}, title = {Bottom, top, or in between}, series = {Advanced materials interfaces}, volume = {9}, journal = {Advanced materials interfaces}, number = {15}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2196-7350}, doi = {10.1002/admi.202102312}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Attractive label-free plasmonic optical fiber sensors can be developed by cleverly choosing the arrangement of plasmonic nanostructures and other building blocks. Here, the final response depends very much on the alignment and position (stacking) of the individual elements. In this work, three different types of fiber optic sensing geometries fabricated by simple layer-by-layer stacking are presented, consisting of stimulus-sensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (polyNIPAM) microgel arrays and plasmonic nanohole arrays (NHAs), namely NHA/polyNIPAM, polyNIPAM/NHA, polyNIPAM/NHA/polyNIPAM. Their optical response to a representative stimulus, namely temperature, is investigated. NHA/polyNIPAM monitors the volume phase transition of polyNIPAM microgels through changes in the spectral position and the amplitude of the reflection minimum of plasmonic NHA. In contrast, polyNIPAM/NHA shows a more complex response to the swelling and collapse of polyNIPAM microgels in their reflectance spectra. The most pronounced changes in optical response are observed by monitoring the amplitude of the reflectance minimum of this sensor during heating/cooling cycles. Finally, the triple stack of polyNIPAM/NHA/polyNIPAM at the end of a optical fiber tip combines the advantages of the NHA/polyNIPAM, polyNIPAM/NHA double stacks for optical sensing. The unique layer-by-layer stacking of microgel and nanostructure is customizable and can be easily adopted for other applications.}, language = {en} } @article{BalderasValadezPacholski2021, author = {Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Pacholski, Claudia}, title = {Plasmonic Nanohole Arrays on Top of Porous Silicon Sensors}, series = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces}, volume = {13}, journal = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces}, number = {30}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1944-8244}, doi = {10.1021/acsami.1c07034}, pages = {36436 -- 36444}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Label-free optical sensors are attractive candidates, for example, for detecting toxic substances and monitoring biomolecular interactions. Their performance can be pushed by the design of the sensor through clever material choices and integration of components. In this work, two porous materials, namely, porous silicon and plasmonic nanohole arrays, are combined in order to obtain increased sensitivity and dual-mode sensing capabilities. For this purpose, porous silicon monolayers are prepared by electrochemical etching and plasmonic nanohole arrays are obtained using a bottom-up strategy. Hybrid sensors of these two materials are realized by transferring the plasmonic nanohole array on top of the porous silicon. Reflectance spectra of the hybrid sensors are characterized by a fringe pattern resulting from the Fabry-P{\´e}rot interference at the porous silicon borders, which is overlaid with a broad dip based on surface plasmon resonance in the plasmonic nanohole array. In addition, the hybrid sensor shows a significant higher reflectance in comparison to the porous silicon monolayer. The sensitivities of the hybrid sensor to refractive index changes are separately determined for both components. A significant increase in sensitivity from 213 ± 12 to 386 ± 5 nm/RIU is determined for the transfer of the plasmonic nanohole array sensors from solid glass substrates to porous silicon monolayers. In contrast, the spectral position of the interference pattern of porous silicon monolayers in different media is not affected by the presence of the plasmonic nanohole array. However, the changes in fringe pattern reflectance of the hybrid sensor are increased 3.7-fold after being covered with plasmonic nanohole arrays and could be used for high-sensitivity sensing. Finally, the capability of the hybrid sensor for simultaneous and independent dual-mode sensing is demonstrated.}, language = {en} } @article{BalderasValadezAntunezOliveMendezetal.2017, author = {Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Antunez, E. E. and Olive-Mendez, Sion Federico and Pacholski, Claudia and Campos-Alvarez, Jose and Bokhimi, Xim and Agarwal, V.}, title = {Porous silicon pillar and bilayer structure as a nucleation center for the formation of aligned vanadium pentoxide nanorods}, series = {Ceramics International}, volume = {43}, journal = {Ceramics International}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0272-8842}, doi = {10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.03.114}, pages = {8023 -- 8030}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Porous silicon single layer (PSM), bilayer (PSB) and pillar (PSP) structures have been evaluated as nucleation centers for vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) crystals. Deposition of vanadium precursor over different substrates (drop casting technique), followed by annealing treatment under Ar-H-2 (5\% H-2) atmosphere, induced crystallization of vanadium oxide. With respect to c-Si/SiO2 substrate, V2O5 nanorods with relatively large aspect ratio were formed over and within PSP structures. On the other hand, pores in PSM and PSB were found to be filled with relatively smaller crystals. Additionally, PSB provided a nucleation substrate capable to align the nanocrystals in a preferential orientation, while V2O5 crystals grown on PSP were found to be randomly aligned around the nanoporous pillar microstructure. Nanorods and nanocrystals were identified as V2O5 by temperature-controlled XRD measurements and evidence of their crystalline nature was observed via transmission electron microscopy. A careful analysis of electronic microscopy images allows the identification of the facets composing the ends of the crystals and its corresponding surface free energy has been evaluated employing the Wulff theorem. Such high surface area composite structures have potential applications as cathode material in Lithium-ion batteries.}, language = {en} } @article{BalderasValadezSchuermannPacholski2019, author = {Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin Mathis and Pacholski, Claudia}, title = {One Spot-Two Sensors: Porous Silicon Interferometers in Combination With Gold Nanostructures Showing Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance}, series = {Frontiers in chemistry}, volume = {7}, journal = {Frontiers in chemistry}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-2646}, doi = {10.3389/fchem.2019.00593}, pages = {12}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Sensors composed of a porous silicon monolayer covered with a film of nanostructured gold layer, which provide two optical signal transduction methods, are fabricated and thoroughly characterized concerning their sensing performance. For this purpose, silicon substrates were electrochemically etched in order to obtain porous silicon monolayers, which were subsequently immersed in gold salt solution facilitating the formation of a porous gold nanoparticle layer on top of the porous silicon. The deposition process was monitored by reflectance spectroscopy, and the appearance of a dip in the interference pattern of the porous silicon layer was observed. This dip can be assigned to the absorption of light by the deposited gold nanostructures leading to localized surface plasmon resonance. The bulk sensitivity of these sensors was determined by recording reflectance spectra in media having different refractive indices and compared to sensors exclusively based on porous silicon or gold nanostructures. A thorough analysis of resulting shifts of the different optical signals in the reflectance spectra on the wavelength scale indicated that the optical response of the porous silicon sensor is not influenced by the presence of a gold nanostructure on top. Moreover, the adsorption of thiol-terminated polystyrene to the sensor surface was solely detected by changes in the position of the dip in the reflectance spectrum, which is assigned to localized surface plasmon resonance in the gold nanostructures. The interference pattern resulting from the porous silicon layer is not shifted to longer wavelengths by the adsorption indicating the independence of the optical response of the two nanostructures, namely porous silicon and nanostructured gold layer, to refractive index changes and pointing to the successful realization of two sensors in one spot.}, language = {en} } @article{BalderasValadezEstevezEspinozaSalazarKurietal.2018, author = {Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Estevez-Espinoza, J. O. and Salazar-Kuri, U. and Pacholski, Claudia and Mochan, Wolf Luis and Agarwal, Vivechana}, title = {Fabrication of ordered tubular porous silicon structures by colloidal lithography and metal assisted chemical etching}, series = {Applied surface science : a journal devoted to applied physics and chemistry of surfaces and interfaces}, volume = {462}, journal = {Applied surface science : a journal devoted to applied physics and chemistry of surfaces and interfaces}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0169-4332}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.08.120}, pages = {783 -- 790}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Fabrication of well-ordered porous silicon tubular structures using colloidal lithography and metal assisted chemical etching is reported. A continuous hexagonal hole/particle gold pattern was designed over monocrystalline silicon through deposition of polyNIPAM microspheres, followed by the surface decoration with gold nanoparticles and thermal treatment. An etching reaction with HF, ethanol and H2O2 dissolved the silicon in contact with the metal nanoparticles (NP), creating a porous tubular array in the "off-metal area". The morphological characterization revealed the formation of a cylindrical hollow porous tubular shape with external and internal diameter of approx. 900 nm and 400 nm respectively, though it can be tuned to other desired sizes by choosing an appropriate dimension for the microspheres. The porous morphology and optical properties were studied as a function of resistivity of silicon substrates. Compared to two different gold templates on cSi and nontubular porous pillar structures, porous silicon tubular framework revealed a maximum surface enhanced Raman scattering enhancement factor of 10(6) for the detection of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). Due to the large surface area available for any surface modification, open nanostructured platforms such as those studied here have potential applications in the field of reflection/photoluminescene and SERS based optical bio-/chemical sensors.}, language = {en} } @article{BalderasValadezAgarwalPacholski2016, author = {Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola and Agarwal, Vivechana and Pacholski, Claudia}, title = {Fabrication of porous silicon-based optical sensors using metal-assisted chemical etching}, series = {RSC Advances}, volume = {6}, journal = {RSC Advances}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {2046-2069}, doi = {10.1039/c5ra26816h}, pages = {21430 -- 21434}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Optical biosensors based on porous silicon were fabricated by metal assisted chemical etching. Thereby double layered porous silicon structures were obtained consisting of porous pillars with large pores on top of a porous silicon layer with smaller pores. These structures showed a similar sensing performance in comparison to electrochemically produced porous silicon interferometric sensors.}, language = {en} } @misc{PacholskiAgarwalBalderasValadez2016, author = {Pacholski, Claudia and Agarwal, Vivechana and Balderas-Valadez, Ruth Fabiola}, title = {Fabrication of porous silicon-based optical sensors using metal-assisted chemical etching}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-394426}, pages = {21430 -- 21434}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Optical biosensors based on porous silicon were fabricated by metal assisted chemical etching. Thereby double layered porous silicon structures were obtained consisting of porous pillars with large pores on top of a porous silicon layer with smaller pores. These structures showed a similar sensing performance in comparison to electrochemically produced porous silicon interferometric sensors.}, language = {en} }