Silicon nanowires modified with Au/Ag nanoparticles for the label-free detection of prostate-specific antigen using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Kirill A. Gonchar; Nikolay Yu. Saushkin; Jeanne V. Samsonova; Liubov A. Osminkina,

doi:10.17308/kcmf.2026.28/13558

Authors

Kirill A. Gonchar Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation , Institute of Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7, Institutskaya st., Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation
Nikolay Yu. Saushkin Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Chemistry, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
Jeanne V. Samsonova Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Chemistry, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
Liubov A. Osminkina, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation , Institute of Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7, Institutskaya st., Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17308/kcmf.2026.28/13558

Keywords:

Silicon nanowires, Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

Objective: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an important biomarker widely used for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. In this work, substrates based on silicon nanowires coated with bimetallic gold and silver nanoparticles (AuAg@SiNWs) are presented for the highly sensitive detection of PSA using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Experimental: The fabrication of AuAg@SiNWs was based on simple and readily accessible chemical etching and metal deposition techniques, making the approach suitable for scaling and potential biomedical applications. The thickness of the silicon nanowire array was approximately 800 nm, while the bimetallic nanoparticle layer was formed predominantly in the upper region of the nanostructures and exhibited a thickness of 100–200 nm. To ensure the biospecificity of the sensor, the surfaces of the AuAg@SiNW substrates were functionalized with antibodies. Analysis of the SERS spectra revealed a clear dependence of the intensity of characteristic amide bands (in particular, at 1294 and 1030 cm–1) on the PSA concentration, starting from 1 ng/mL. The calculated calibration curve in the concentration range of 0.001–1 μg/mL demonstrated a high degree of linearity (R2 = 0.96), while the stable presence of characteristic spectral features at a concentration of 1 ng/ mL indicates the high functional sensitivity of the proposed platform.

Conclusions: The results obtained demonstrate that AuAg@SiNW-based substrates possess significant potential for label-free and highly sensitive detection of protein cancer biomarkers, including PSA, and can be used as a platform for the development of compact biosensors for laboratory diagnostics and point-of-care applications

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Author Biographies

Kirill A. Gonchar, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation, Institute of Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7, Institutskaya st., Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Phys.–Math.), Senior Researcher, Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosova (Moscow, Russian Federation); Institute of Biological Instrumentation Russian Academy of Sciences (Pushchino, Russian Federation)
Nikolay Yu. Saushkin, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Chemistry, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Researcher, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation)
Jeanne V. Samsonova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Chemistry, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 3, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Senior Researcher, Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation)
Liubov A. Osminkina,, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, 1, Leninskie Gory, Building 2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation, Institute of Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7, Institutskaya st., Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Phys.–Math.), Leading Researcher, Department of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation); Institute of Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences (Pushchino, Russian Federation)

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