Development of a surface plasmon resonance sensor using an optical fiber prepared by electroless displacement gold plating and its application to immunoassay

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) Vol. 240; p. 123162
• Main Authors: Shoji, Atsushi, Nakajima, Miyu, Morioka, Kazuhiro, Fujimori, Eiji, Umemura, Tomonari, Yanagida, Akio, Hemmi, Akihide, Uchiyama, Katsumi, Nakajima, Hizuru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.04.2022
• Subjects: Displacement plating; Electroless plating; Gold; Humans; Immunoassay; Optical fiber; Optical Fibers; Refractometry; Salivary IgA; Surface Plasmon Resonance; Immunoassay; Displacement plating; Surface plasmon resonance; Salivary IgA; Electroless plating; Optical fiber
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123162

A simple and low-cost method of fabricating an optical fiber for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor was proposed. The method is based on the electroless nickel plating and subsequent displacement gold plating of the core of the optical fiber. The thickness of the nickel and gold thin films deposited on the core of the optical fiber could be controlled by measuring the reflected light intensity from the tip of the optical fiber during the plating processes. The sensitivity and resolution of the SPR sensor with the fabricated optical fiber in the refractive index range from 1.333 to 1.348 were 1324.3 nm/RIU and 7.6 × 10−4 RIU, respectively. The developed SPR sensor was successfully used in the determination of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in human saliva. The IgA quantification results obtained by the SPR sensor were in excellent agreement with those obtained by conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a 96-well microtiter plate. [Display omitted] •A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor using an optical fiber was prepared by the electroless nickel plating and subsequent displacement gold plating of the core of the optical fiber.•Reflected light intensity provided useful information on the thickness of both the nickel and gold thin film.•The prepared optic fiber SPR sensor was successfully applied in the quantification of human salivary IgA levels.