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This thesis details research into the functionalisation of nanoparticles for deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) bioanalysis. The work focuses on combining two techniques; the sequence-specific hybridisation-driven aggregation of noble metal (gold or silver) nanoparticles functionalised with DNA and surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS). Oligonucleotide functionalised gold nanoparticles (OGN) are a new and exciting area of research as combining these two moieties leads to novel optical activity. The moieties were synthesised in a repeat of previously published research, their properties fully studied using colorimetry and absorption spectroscopy and unsuccessful attempts made to combine them with SERRS. For the first time, oligonucleotide functionalised silver nanoparticles (OSN) were successfully synthesised and their sandwich assay properties fully studied using colorimetry and absorption spectroscopy. |
