Graphene oxide-encoded Ag nanoshells with single-particle detection sensitivity towards cancer cell imaging based on SERRS.

Developing ultrasensitive Raman nanoprobes is one of the emerging interests in the field of biosensing and bioimaging. Herein, we constructed a new type of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering nanoprobe composed of an Ag nanoshell as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering-active nanostructure, which was encapsulated with 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine-functionalized graphene oxide as an ultrasensitive Raman reporter exhibiting strong resonance Raman scattering including distinct D and G modes. The designed nanoprobe was able to produce much more intense and simpler Raman signals even at a single particle level than the Ag nanoshell bearing a well-known Raman reporter, which is beneficial for the sensitive detection of a target in a complex biological system. Finally, this ultrasensitive nanoprobe successfully demonstrated its potential for bioimaging of cancer cells using Raman spectroscopy.