Three-Dimensional Tungsten Disulfide Raman Biosensor for Dopamine Detection.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are promising materials for detection of biomolecules due to their large surface-to-volume ratio. However, their poor response to the cellular environment hinders the realization of high-performance 2D TMDC sensors. Here, we present a hierarchical Raman scattering sensor consisting of the WS directly grown on an array of three-dimensional (3D) WO nanohelixes (NHs) by sulfurization. Both the adsorption of biomolecules and the proliferation of cells are significantly promoted for the 3D WS/WO NH sensor compared to the control sensor with sulfurized WS on 2D WO film, leading to much enhanced sensitivity to dopamine. In addition, according to the test using PC12 cells, the 3D WS/WO NH sensor shows a significant increase in hydrophobicity and Raman frequency shift, indicating that both the attachment of cells and the detection of biomolecules are improved.