Gold nanorods 3D-supercrystals as surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy substrates for the rapid detection of scrambled prions

Highly organized supercrystals of Au nanorods with plasmonic antennae enhancement of electrical field have made possible fast direct detection of prions in complex biological media such as serum and blood. The nearly perfect three-dimensional organization of nanorods render these systems excellent surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy substrates with uniform electric field enhancement, leading to reproducibly high enhancement factor in the desirable spectral range.