Keywords

CoAu; Nanoparticle; Lateral Flow Assay; Nanochemistry; Cobalt Gold; biosensing

Abstract

Influenza A (H1N1) remains a global health concern, especially in regions with limited access to high-tech laboratory equipment and education required to work in these facilities. This work developed a highly sensitive cobalt gold nanoparticle-based rapid lateral flow assay point-of-care test to detect the hemagglutinin spike protein on the surface of the A/California/04/2009 H1N1 strain, compared with commercially used standard solid Au NPs. The selected antibody-antigen pairings were rabbit recombinant monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies targeting the HA protein of the A/California/04/2009 H1N1 strain. CoAu nanoparticles were designed to conjugate with the primary antibody, producing a visible result on the test line. CoAu NPs were chosen for this project because noble bimetallic NPs have unique plasmonic properties, are easily manipulated, stable, and affordable. In this study, CoAu NPs were synthesized using galvanic replacement to generate a hollow nanostructure. By generating a sacrificial core from cheaper cobalt atoms and then depositing gold atoms onto its surface, material costs are significantly reduced when compared to the solid Au NPs. The particles’ morphology was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, and the plasmonic properties were characterized with UV-vis spectroscopy. The results showed that the naked-eye limit of detection of the Influenza A antigen in the CoAu-based LFA was about 16 times lower than the limit of detection in the standard Au NP LFA, and the calculated limit of detection was more than 60-fold more sensitive. These results show promising potential for the use of CoAu NPs in point-of-care diagnostic testing for Influenza A.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Xiaohu Xia

College

College of Sciences

Department

Chemistry

Thesis Discipline

Chemistry

Language

English

Access Status

Campus Access

Length of Campus Access

5 years

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Restricted to the UCF community until 5-15-2031; it will then be open access.

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Rights Statement

In Copyright