Chiral gold nanofibers as substrates towards SERS-based chiral and flexible sensing
4 affiliations
- 1Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds vej 14, Aarhus, Denmark, 8000
- 2Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 118, Aarhus, Denmark
- 3Department of Health Technology
- 4Technical University of Denmark
Abstract
Chiral plasmonic nanostructures offer unique opportunities for combining surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with enantioselective molecular recognition. However, their integration into practical sensing platforms remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate high-aspect-ratio chiral gold nanofibers as versatile substrates for sensitive, chiral, and flexible SERS sensing. Using trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene as a model analyte, the chiral gold nanofibers enable molecular detection down to 1 nM and exhibit higher SERS efficiency (between 2-3× higher) than benchmark nanomaterials such as chiral and achiral gold nanorods. Beyond molecular detection, the chiral gold nanofibers generate distinct SERS responses towards D- and L-cysteine and mixtures with different enantiomeric compositions above analyte concentrations of, at least, 10 mM. Finally, the chiral gold nanofibers retain their SERS activity after integration into low-cost, flexible paper scaffolds, enabling spatial mapping and recovery of characteristic molecular fingerprints across the heterogeneous surface. These results establish chiral gold nanofibers as potential multifunctional plasmonic building blocks that combine molecular sensitivity, enantioselective recognition, and compatibility with flexible surfaces, providing a route towards adaptable platforms for label-free chiral sensing.
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BibTeX
@misc{nielsen2026chiral,
title = {{Chiral gold nanofibers as substrates towards SERS-based chiral and flexible sensing}},
author = {Mathias R. S. Nielsen and Christian Hirsch and Gohar Soufi and Anja Boisen and Miguel Alexandre Ramos-Docampo},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008635/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008635/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Chiral gold nanofibers as substrates towards SERS-based chiral and flexible sensing
AU - Mathias R. S. Nielsen
AU - Christian Hirsch
AU - Gohar Soufi
AU - Anja Boisen
AU - Miguel Alexandre Ramos-Docampo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008635/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008635/v1
AB - Chiral plasmonic nanostructures offer unique opportunities for combining surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with enantioselective molecular recognition. However, their integration into practical sensing platforms remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate high-aspect-ratio chiral gold nanofibers as versatile substrates for sensitive, chiral, and flexible SERS sensing. Using trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene as a model analyte, the chiral gold nanofibers enable molecular detection down to 1 nM and exhibit higher SERS efficiency (between 2-3× higher) than benchmark nanomaterials such as chiral and achiral gold nanorods. Beyond molecular detection, the chiral gold nanofibers generate distinct SERS responses towards D- and L-cysteine and mixtures with different enantiomeric compositions above analyte concentrations of, at least, 10 mM. Finally, the chiral gold nanofibers retain their SERS activity after integration into low-cost, flexible paper scaffolds, enabling spatial mapping and recovery of characteristic molecular fingerprints across the heterogeneous surface. These results establish chiral gold nanofibers as potential multifunctional plasmonic building blocks that combine molecular sensitivity, enantioselective recognition, and compatibility with flexible surfaces, providing a route towards adaptable platforms for label-free chiral sensing.
ER -