Silver nanoparticles embedded in amine-functionalized silicate sol-gel network assembly for sensing cysteine, adenosine and NADH

Silver nanoparticles embedded in amine-functionalized silicate sol-gel network were synthesized and used for sensing biomolecules such as cysteine, adenosine, and beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The sensing of these biomolecules by the assembly of silver nanoparticles was triggered by the optical response of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the silver nanoparticles. The optical sensor exhibited the lowest detection limit (LOD) of 5, 20, and 5 mu M for cysteine, adenosine, and NADH, respectively. The sensing of biomolecules in the micromolar range by using the amine-functionalized silicate sol-gel embedded silver nanoparticles was studied in the presence of interference molecules like uridine, glycine, guanine, and guanosine. Thus, the present approach might open up a new avenue for the development of silver nanoparticles-based optical sensor devices for biomolecules.