Fig. 5

Targeted SERS imaging of cells with split-FP assembled metal nanoclusters. a SERS microscopy images of fixed cells at the GFP chromophore 1527 cm⁻¹ imidazolinone/exocyclic C=C Raman mode and corresponding SERS spectra on cells expressing the avidin biomarkers and targeted by biotinylated M3-AuNPs and sGFP-AuNPs separately or simultaneously. Colored arrows in images point toward single pixels whose SERS spectra are represented in matching colors. The three typical GFP chromophore vibrational modes are indicated by dash lines on spectra. b SERS microscopy image of live cells co-targeted by biotinylated M3-AuNPs and sGFP-AuNPs and reconstructed at a 1535 ± 15 cm⁻¹ spectral window. The deconvolved SERS spectrum corresponds to one pixel in the cell image as indicated by the arrow. c SERS image of live cells co-targeted by biotinylated M3-AgNPs and sGFP-AgNPs and reconstructed at a 1550 ± 15 cm⁻¹ spectral window. The SERS spectrum corresponds to the individual pixel indicated by the arrow in the cell image. d SERS image of live cells in hypotonic buffer after co-targeting of biotinylated M3-AuNPs and sGFP-AuNPs and reconstruction at a 1550 ± 15 cm⁻¹. The SERS spectrum corresponds to one pixel in the cell image as indicated by the arrow. All scale bars: 10 µm