Promises and challenges of nanoplasmonic devices for refractometric biosensing
Journal article, 2013

Optical biosensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in metallic thin films are currently standard tools for measuring molecular binding kinetics and affinities - an important task for biophysical studies and pharmaceutical development. Motivated by recent progress in the design and fabrication of metallic nanostructures, such as nanoparticles or nanoholes of various shapes, researchers have been pursuing a new generation of biosensors harnessing tailored plasmonic effects in these engineered nanostructures. Nanoplasmonic devices, while demanding nanofabrication, offer tunability with respect to sensor dimension and physical properties, thereby enabling novel biological interfacing opportunities and extreme miniaturization. Here we provide an integrated overview of refractometric biosensing with nanoplasmonic devices and highlight some recent examples of nanoplasmonic sensors capable of unique functions that are difficult to accomplish with conventional SPR. For example, since the local field strength and spatial distribution can be readily tuned by varying the shape and arrangement of nanostructures, biomolecular interactions can be controlled to occur in regions of high field strength. This may improve signal-to-noise and also enable sensing a small number of molecules. Furthermore, the nanoscale plasmonic sensor elements may, in combination with nanofabrication and materials-selective surface-modifications, make it possible to merge affinity biosensing with nanofluidic liquid handling.

nanoparticle

Optical biosensors

NANOPARTICLES

single molecule detection

pore-spanning lipid membrane

refractometric sensors

NANOHOLE ARRAYS

SUBWAVELENGTH HOLE ARRAYS

site-specific chemistry

EXTRAORDINARY OPTICAL-TRANSMISSION

SENSING CHARACTERISTICS

supported lipid bilayer

enzyme-linked biosensing

nanoho

METAL-FILMS

GOLD-NANOPARTICLE SENSOR

COLLOIDAL GOLD

WELL CJ

surface plasmon resonance

SURFACE-PLASMON RESONANCE

1959

PHYSICAL REVIEW

plasmonics

figure of merit

REAL-TIME

V115

P869

SILVER

Author

Andreas Dahlin

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Bionanophotonics

N. J. Wittenberg

University of Minnesota

Fredrik Höök

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Biological Physics

S. H. Oh

Seoul National University

University of Minnesota

Nanophotonics

21928614 (eISSN)

Vol. 2 2 83-101

Subject Categories

Materials Engineering

Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

Nano Technology

DOI

10.1515/nanoph-2012-0026

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Latest update

10/5/2023