Dual-functional Cu₂O-Au@Ag-based platforms for sensitive SERS monitoring and in-situ sterilization of Escherichia coli.

Authors

Yongyi Yan, Yuying Fu, Yuhan Zhang, Shuming Wang, Zhonglin Cai, Xin Li, Wenshi Zhao, Yang Liu

Published in

Analytica chimica acta. Volume 1427. Pages 346413. Dec 15, 2026. Epub Oct 20, 2026.

Abstract

In response to the global public health challenge posed by drug-resistant bacteria, existing studies have primarily focused on developing single-function biological platforms, which struggle to enable both precise detection and efficient elimination of foodborne pathogens.
To address this challenge, a bifunctional SERS sensing platform utilizing Cu₂O-Au@Ag-Apt capture probes and Au-methylene Blue (MB)-Apt signal probes was designed, leveraging a "capture probe/bacteria/signal probe" sandwich recognition mechanism for ultrasensitive detection and killing of E. coli. Through finite difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, we compared the electromagnetic field distribution of Cu₂O-Au@Ag substrates under changing Au@Ag loadings, combined with analyses of electromagnetic field intensity of capture probe, signal probe, and sandwich structure. This systematically elucidated the physical enhancement mechanism driven by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the chemical enhancement effect mediated by Cu₂O. Additionally, specificity experiments further validated the high-efficiency capture capability of Apt for E. coli. The platform achieved a low detection concentration of E. coli with 10 cfu/mL. Moreover, SERS platform demonstrated exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency (51 %), achieving a bacterial photothermal inactivation rate of up to 93.3 %.
The platform innovatively integrates multi-hotspot SERS sensing with targeted photothermal inactivation functions using plasma-nanostructured materials, achieving an integrated process for the identification, detection, and eradication of foodborne pathogens. It offers a novel theranostic paradigm for on-site, real-time monitoring and the efficient management of bacterial infections.

PMID:
43003568
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Nov 2026.

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