Abstract
Strategies to encode or label small particles or beads for use in high-throughput screening and bioassay applications1 focus on either spatially differentiated, on-chip arrays2,3,4 or random distributions of encoded beads5,6. Attempts to encode large numbers of polymeric, metallic or glass beads in random arrays or in fluid suspension have used a variety of entities to provide coded elements (bits)—fluorescent molecules, molecules with specific vibrational signatures7,8, quantum dots9, or discrete metallic layers10. Here we report a method for optically encoding micrometre-sized nanostructured particles of porous silicon. We generate multilayered porous films in crystalline silicon using a periodic electrochemical etch. This results in photonic crystals with well-resolved and narrow optical reflectivity features, whose wavelengths are determined by the etching parameters11. Millions of possible codes can be prepared this way. Micrometre-sized particles are then produced by ultrasonic fracture12, mechanical grinding or by lithographic means. A simple antibody-based bioassay using fluorescently tagged proteins demonstrates the encoding strategy in biologically relevant media.
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Acknowledgements
We thank E. Ruoslahti and T. Mustelin for discussions. This work was supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to M.J.S.
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Cunin, F., Schmedake, T., Link, J. et al. Biomolecular screening with encoded porous-silicon photonic crystals. Nature Mater 1, 39–41 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat702
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat702
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