Color-encoded microcarriers based on nano-silicon dioxide film for multiplexed immunoassays

• Published in: Analyst (London) Vol. 137; no. 16; pp. 3760 - 3766
• Main Authors: Li, Qiang, Zhang, Kaihuan, Wang, Tongzhou, Zhou, Xinying, Wang, Jia, Wang, Chen, Lin, Haixiao, Li, Xin, Lu, Ying, Huang, Guoliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 21.08.2012
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Animals; Chemistry; Color; Dioxides; Encoding; Exact sciences and technology; General, instrumentation; Goats; Humans; Immunoassay - economics; Immunoassay - methods; Microtechnology - methods; Miscellaneous; Models, Theoretical; Multiplexing; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Nanostructures - chemistry; Optical Phenomena; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Silicon substrates; Performance evaluation; Chemical analysis; High density; Microanalysis; IgG; Rabbit; Time; Immunological method; Target; Silicon; Human; Sample; Use; Rodentia; Color; Interference; Lagomorpha; Chemical sensor; Antigen; Thickness; Substrate; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Volume; Technique; Detection; Sensor array
• DOI: 10.1039/c2an35410a
• ISSN: 0003-2654

Multiplexed analysis allows researchers to obtain high-density information with minimal assay time, sample volume and cost. Currently, microcarrier or particle-based approaches for multiplexed analysis involve complicated or expensive encoding and decoding processes. In this paper, a novel optical encoding technique based on nano-silicon dioxide film is presented. Microcarriers composed of thermally grown silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) film and monocrystalline silicon (Si) substrate were fabricated. The nano-silicon dioxide film exhibited unique surface color by low-coherence interference. Hence the colors can be used for encoding at least 100 microcarriers loaded with films of different thickness. We demonstrated that color-encoded microcarriers loaded with antigens could be used for multiplexed immunoassays to detect goat anti-human IgG, goat anti-mouse IgG and goat anti-rabbit IgG, with fluorescent detection as the interrogating approach. This microcarrier-based method also exhibited improved analytical performance compared with a microarray technique. This approach will provide new opportunities for multiplexed target assay development.