US Patent 7466406 - Nanodisk array nanowire assaying

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7466406.html

This patent from Northwestern University discloses an interesting modification of nanowires used in SERS in which nanodisk arrays are etched out of the nanowire to serve as substrates for an analyte allowing for tuning of nanowires for analytes of interest. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of assaying for a presence or a concentration of an analyte or a plurality of analytes in a sample comprising:

a) contacting the sample with a nanowire to create a mixture, wherein the nanowire comprises at least one nanodisk array comprising at least two nanodisks, each nanodisk independently having a thickness of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and at least one gap of about 2 to about 500 nm;

b) illuminating the mixture with a radiation source; and

c) measuring a signal intensity resulting from the illumination of the mixture, wherein the intensity is correlated to the presence or concentration of the analyte in the sample.