A double-aptamer sandwich strategy for dual-reporter SERS assay with reduced false-positive as practical protein testing tool in clinical diagnostics and prognosis.

Experimental decoupling of the effects of plasmon resonance energy transfer (PRET) and metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) within the same nanometal–fluorophore pair is fascinating but challenging. In this study, we presented a possible solution for this by coating plasmonic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) with temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) shells and R6G hybrids, termed the Au@p-R nanoplatform, which could reversibly adjust the separation between dyes and the AuNP surface, enabling an ON/OFF switch between MEF and PRET. In our optimization process, we discovered that 20 kDa of pNIPAM causes an MEF effect owing to an appropriate shrinking distance of 6.86 ± 0.85 nm. This dual-model nanoplatform exhibits great potential for tracking temperature-dependent transitions.

The quantitative capability of trinitarian internal standards for surface-enhanced Raman scattering analysis by assembling core–shell nanostructures at the liquid–liquid interface (LLI).

An aldol condensation reaction on oil-in-water (O/W) liquid interfacial plasmonic arrays was developed for sensing volatile aldehydes in alcohols by using an aromatic aldehyde as the probe for portable SERS assays. The detection limit was 10⁻⁸ M. The substrate exhibited an RSD value of 6.9%, and the probe showed good selectivity to four common interferences.

To address the issues of poor Co²⁺ regeneration and limited interfacial electron transfer in heterogeneous catalytic systems, this study proposes the synthesis of highly efficient and stable Co₃O₄/ZnO composites through the pyrolysis–oxidation reaction of Co/Zn MOFs for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) using activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The results confirmed that the catalyst exhibited a high electron transfer capacity, and the synergistic effect between the bimetals enhanced the reversible redox cycle of Co³⁺/Co²⁺. Under optimal conditions, complete removal of RhB was achieved in just 6 min using the Co₃O₄/ZnO composite, which demonstrated excellent stability after five cycles. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited a high degradation efficiency in real water samples with a total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate of approximately 65% after 60 min. The electrochemical measurements, identification of active species, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that non-radicals (¹O₂ and direct charge transfer) played a major role in the degradation of RhB. Finally, the potential mechanisms and degradation pathways for RhB degradation using this catalyst were systematically investigated. This study opens new avenues for the development of efficient and stable PMS catalysts, and provides insights into the preparation of other emerging metal oxides.