Irreversible adsorption of biomolecules onto imaging substrates is an impediment to expand the applications of single molecule techniques. Traditional polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfaces are only effective at low concentrations of analytes and their structure prevents their use for interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy. We propose a new platform that virtually eliminates non-specific binding thanks to the omniphobicity of perfluorinated compounds, also known as the fluorous effect. Here, we showcase the anti-fouling properties of these substrates at a single molecule level through iSCAT measurements of a protein mixture. We believe these novel engineered substrates show great promise to study biomachinery processes requiring large analyte concentrations, where other passivation methods are not effective, through iSCAT microscopy and other single molecule techniques.
Colloidal synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) requires the use of surfactants or other capping agents as stabilisers. These capping agents form monolayers on the NP surface and determine their functionalities. In most cases, the capping agent used for the synthesis does not provide the required properties for the desired applications and must be exchanged in a separate step. NP functionalisation through ligand exchange is a common strategy to alter their chemical and physical properties to expand their applications. Here, we show the functionalisation of 20 nm citrate-capped gold NPs (AuNPs) with perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT) to generate reversible interactions by exploiting the fluorous effect. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry and zeta potential (ZP) characterization was performed before and after functionalisation to confirm ligand exchange.
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