Gelatin-Coated Magnetic Nanowires for High-Sensitivity Optical Labels

The encapsulation of magnetic nickel nanowires (NiNWs) with gelatin is proposed as an alternative for optical label detection. Magnetic nanowires can be detected at very low concentrations using light-scattering methods. This detection capacity could be helpful in applications such as transducers for molecular and biomolecular sensors; however, potential applications require the attachment of specific binding molecules to the nanowire structure. In the present study, a method is presented which is helpful in coating magnetic nanowires with gelatin, a material with the potential to handle specific decoration and functionalization of the nanowires; in the first case, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are efficiently used to decorate the nanowires. Furthermore, it is shown that the synthesized gelatin-coated particles have excellent detectability to the level of 140 pg/mL; this level of detection outperforms more complex techniques such as ICP-OES (similar to 3 ng/mL for Ni) and magnetoresistance sensing (similar to 10 ng/mL for magnetic nanoparticles).

Automated summary

This study proposes encapsulating magnetic nickel nanowires (NiNWs) with gelatin as an alternative method for optical label detection. Magnetic nanowires can be detected at very low concentrations using light-scattering methods, making them useful in molecular and biomolecular sensor applications. The study also presents a method for coating the nanowires with gelatin, which allows for specific decoration and functionalization.