A novel method based on Ag–Au nanorings with tunable plasmonic properties for the sensitive detection of amantadine

To prevent the toxic effect of amantadine (AMD) on humans, a sensitive and direct detection method is required. The conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) usually shows a monochromatic gradient color variation with the concentration of the target; hence, it is not a sensitive method for naked-eye detection. In this work, Ag–Au nanorings with highly tunable plasmon properties were synthesized as colorimetric nanosensors. The growth of Ag on the hollow nanorings led to rich color variations. Ag–Au nanorings were integrated into ELISA for the sensitive detection of AMD with the naked eye. The proposed method showed high sensitivity for the qualitative and quantitative detection of AMD, the visible cut-off value (0.2 ng mL−1) and limit of detection (0.071 ng mL−1) were 10-fold and 4.7-fold lower, respectively, than those of conventional ELISA. This method showed a linear range of 0.08–2 ng mL−1 and 4–12 ng mL−1. The detection results of this method on 100 samples (food samples and municipal water) agreed well with those of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed plasmonic ELISA has high sensitivity, easy operation, and naked-eye readout. [Display omitted] •Ag–Au nanoring was firstly integrated into ELISA for the detection of AMD.•The nanosensor presents rich color variations and achieves sensitive detection.•Sensitivity of the proposed method is 10-fold lower than that of conventional ELISA.•The method is suitable for qualitative and quantitative on-site detection of samples.