Enhanced luminescence from nanopolished surface and plate wells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708494-B2
Application number	US-201614993449-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 26, 2011
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a new silver coating/nanoparticle scaffold that significantly enhances the luminescence of near-field fluorophores via the metal enhanced fluorescence phenomenon. The silver coating/nanoparticle scaffold can be used for numerous applications in metal-enhanced fluorescence.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A substrate comprising a multiplicity of discrete metallic layers, wherein each discrete layer comprises discrete metallic nanoparticles thereby providing the substrate with enhanced luminescence, wherein the substrate is fabricated by the steps comprising:
a) providing a substrate for deposition of metallic layers,
b) providing a metal containing solution, contacting the metal containing solution with the substrate and heating same to a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 60° C. for a deposition time period ranging from 1 minute to 7 minutes to provide for deposition of metallic nanoparticles, wherein the metallic nanoparticles exhibit plasmonic activity;
c) transferring the heated substrate to a freezing chamber for a time period ranging from about 1 minute to 4 minutes to form a chilled substrate;
d) transferring the chilled substrate back to a heating environment for a time period as in step b) or shorter than the previous heating period and in the same heating temperature range;
e) removing the solution; and
f) repeating steps b) and c) for at least one more time and optionally from 4 to 19 times to provide a multiplicity of layers of metallic nanoparticles, wherein each layer of the metallic nanoparticles is deposited directly on the previous layer and in contact therewith and wherein the nanoparticles are discrete and substantially the same size and having a diameter from about 50 nm to about 350 nm.

2. The substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the metal containing solution comprises AgNO 3 with a concentration of about 1% to about 5% w/v.

3. The substrate of claim 2 , wherein the metal containing solution further comprising NaOH having a concentration of about 5% to about 20% w/v in an amount from about 50 ul to about 100 ul, NH 4 OH having a concentration of about 20% to 40% w/v in an amount from about 300 ul to about 700 ul and glucose in an amount from about 2 ml to about 7 ml to provide from about 5 to 15% w/v of glucose.

4. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the metal containing solution comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Silver, Gold, Aluminium, Zinc, Rhodium, Copper, Nickel, Palladium, Indium, Tin, Iron, Tungsten, Platinum, Germanium and a combination thereof.

5. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is fabricated from glass, quartz, metallic oxide or a polymeric material.

6. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles have an approximate cross-sectional diameter from about 100 nm to about 350 nm.

7. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the heating deposition time is from about 4 to 7 minutes.

8. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the discrete layers of metallic nanoparticles is from 2 to 12 layers.

9. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the metal containing solution comprises 200 μl of sodium hydroxide solution (0.5% w/v), 60 ml of AgNO 3 (0.83% w/v), 2 ml of ammonium hydroxide (30% w/v solution) and 15 ml of fresh D-glucose solution (4.8% w/v).

10. The substrate of claim 7 , wherein the heating deposition time is repeated 7 to 12 times to provide 7 to 12 discrete layers.

11. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a High Throughput Screening (HTS) plate.

12. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is plasma treated to provide a hydrophilic surface.

13. The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a substantially flat surface.

Assignees

• Univserity Of Maryland Baltimore County
• Univ Maryland

Inventors

• Geddes Chris D
• Dragan Anatoliy I

Classifications

• B05D1/06

  Applying particulate materials · CPC title

• Y10T428/12028

  Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, etc.] · CPC title

• C23C24/08

  by application of heat or pressure and heat (C23C24/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C09D1/00

  Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, based on inorganic substances · CPC title

• G01N21/64

  Fluorescence; Phosphorescence · CPC title