Overview
This paper reports the fabrication of a concave-nanogap nanostructure functionalized with aptamers for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection and in situ imaging of mercury (Hg2+), lead (Pb2+), and cadmium (Cd2+) ions. The sensor exploits the intense electromagnetic field enhancement within the nanogap “hot spot” to achieve sub-nanomolar detection limits. Applications are demonstrated in spiked water samples, herbal plant extracts, and zebrafish as a biological matrix, but no occurrence measurements of actual heavy metal concentrations in food matrices are reported.
Key numbers
- LOD for Hg2+: 0.1 nM (reported as the primary benchmark analyte)
- Simultaneous multi-metal detection: Hg2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+
- Matrix validation: ultrapure water, spiked herbal plant extracts, zebrafish tissue (in situ imaging)
- Published in Analytical Chemistry 2025, 97, 23516–23525
Methods (brief)
Concave-nanogap gold nanostructures were synthesized and functionalized with metal-specific aptamers. SERS spectra were recorded under 785 nm laser excitation. The sensor was validated against spiked matrices. No ICP-MS or AAS reference measurements of food commodity occurrence are provided.
Implications
Certification: Not applicable — no occurrence data for food matrices. Courses: Useful as an example of next-generation SERS-based rapid screening tools for heavy metals in food safety contexts. App: No contamination profile data extractable from this source.
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Update history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 6 sections added; narrative text revised |