Molecular motor propelled filaments reveal light-guiding in nanowire arrays for enhanced biosensing.

ABSTRACT: Semiconductor nanowire arrays offer significant potential for biosensing applications with optical read-out due to their high surface area and due to the unique optical properties of one-dimensional materials. A challenge for optical read-out of analyte-binding to the nanowires is the need to efficiently collect and detect light from a three-dimensional volume. Here we show that light from fluorophores attached along several μm long vertical Al2O3 coated gallium phosphide nanowires couples into the wires, is guided along them and emitted at the tip. This enables effective collection of light emitted by fluorescent analytes located at different focal planes along the nanowire. We unequivocally demonstrate the light-guiding effect using a novel method whereby the changes in emitted fluoresce

SUBMITTER: ten Siethoff L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3924849 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature