Photothermal PCR chip with plasmonic glass nanopillar arrays

This work presents photothermal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chip using plasmonic glass nanopillar arrays and a white LED for rapid molecular diagnostic. The plasmonic glass nanopillar arrays consist of glass nanopillar arrays (GNA) and gold nanoislands (AuNIs). The plasmonic nanopillars exhibit highly enhanced light absorption and strongly enhanced local electric field between the AuNIs in a full visible range. The plasmonic nanopillars are fabricated by using solid-state dewetting of silver thin film, reactive ion etching, and thermal evaporation of AuNIs. The photothermal PCR chip show rapid thermal cycles between 60 ℃ and 95 ℃ mirroring annealing and denaturation temperatures of the PCR process (30 cycles, 3 min 30 sec). λ-DNA is successfully amplified by using photothermal PCR chip with the plasmonic nanopillars, a PDMS chamber, and the white LED. This photothermal PCR chip with the plasmonic nanopillars enables ultrafast and portable PCR for molecular diagnostics at point-of-care level.