Core/Shell Nanoparticles: Classes, Properties, Synthesis Mechanisms, Characterization, and Applications

Sensitive optical biosensors for unlabeled targets: a review.

Materials research plays a vital role in transforming breakthrough scientific ideas into next-generation technology. Similar to the way silicon revolutionized the microelectronics industry, the proper materials can greatly impact the field of plasmonics and metamaterials. Currently, research in plasmonics and metamaterials lacks good material building blocks in order to realize useful devices. Such devices suffer from many drawbacks arising from the undesirable properties of their material building blocks, especially metals. There are many materials, other than conventional metallic components such as gold and silver, that exhibit metallic properties and provide advantages in device performance, design flexibility, fabrication, integration, and tunability. This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskite oxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the search for better plasmonic materials and an outlook of further research directions.

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Alternative Plasmonic Materials: Beyond Gold and Silver

https://www.uta.edu/rfmems/GI_Sensor/papers/ac040049d.pdf

Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Biosensors

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/90/5/1635.full.pdf

Supramolecular chemistry.

Since the introduction of optical fiber technology in the field of sensor based on the technique of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), fiber-optic SPR sensors have witnessed a lot of advancements. This paper reports on the past, present, and future scope of fiber-optic SPR sensors in the field of sensing of different chemical, physical, and biochemical parameters. A detailed mechanism of the SPR technique for sensing purposes has been discussed. Different new techniques and models in this area that have been introduced are discussed in quite a detail. We have tried to put the different advancements in the order of their chronological evolution. The content of the review article may be of great importance for the research community who are to take the field of fiber-optic SPR sensors as its research endeavors.

Fiber-Optic Sensors Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance: A Comprehensive Review

Surface plasmon resonance technique in collaboration with optical fiber technology has brought tremendous advancements in sensing of various physical, chemical, and biochemical parameters. In this review article, we present the principle of SPR technique for sensing and various designs of the fiber optic SPR probe reported for the enhancement of the sensitivity of the sensor. In addition, we present few examples of the surface plasmon resonance- (SPR-) based fiber optic sensors. The present review may provide researchers valuable information regarding fiber optic SPR sensors and encourage them to take this area for further research and development.

/pdf/surface-plasmon-resonance-based-fiber-optic-sensors-47guvd2hmc.pdf

Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Fiber Optic Sensors: Principle, Probe Designs, and Some Applications

In the present work, we have investigated the capability of different bimetallic combinations to be used in a fiber optic sensor based on the technique of surface plasmon resonance. The metals considered for the present analysis are silver, gold, copper, and aluminum. The performance of the sensor with different bimetallic combinations is evaluated and compared numerically. The performance is analyzed in terms of three parameters: sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and operating range. On the basis of the comparison and some logical criteria, the best possible bimetallic combination along with requisite thickness distribution is predicted. The bimetallic combination is capable of simultaneously providing the larger values of sensitivity, SNR, and operating range, which is not possible with any single metallic layer.

On the performance of different bimetallic combinations in surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensors

A surface plasmon resonance based biomolecules sensor using silicon and graphene layers coated over the base of the high index prism sputtered with gold has been analyzed. The graphene layer has been used to enhance the adsorption of biomolecules while the addition of silicon layer between gold and graphene increases the sensitivity. The thicknesses of gold and silicon layers along with the number of graphene layers have been optimized to achieve the best performance of the sensor in terms of sensitivity and Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM). To see the effect of wavelength of the light source, simulations have been carried out for three different wavelengths. The best performance is obtained for 633 nm wavelength with optimized thicknesses of gold and silicon layers as 40 nm and 7 nm respectively while the optimum number of graphene layers is 2. The sensitivity obtained with optimized parameters and additional silicon layer, is more than twice the value reported in the literature.

Sensitivity enhancement of a surface plasmon resonance based biomolecules sensor using graphene and silicon layers

A multi-layered surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based fiber optic absorption sensor has been studied theoretically. The sensitivity is evaluated for the p-polarized light launched in the fiber using ray approximation. Four-layers configuration is used to excite the surface plasmon wave. The first layer or the medium considered is the core of the fiber. Second and third layers are metallic (silver and gold). The fourth layer or medium is absorbing medium. The effect of the ratio of the thickness of the metallic layers (silver:gold) on the sensitivity of the sensor has been investigated. The sensitivity increases as the silver to gold thickness ratio increases. The gold should be used only to protect silver layer. In addition, the influences of various parameters like numerical aperture (NA), ratio of sensing region length to fiber core diameter, total bimetallic thickness, maximum absorption wavelength, and half maximum width of the sensing medium on the sensitivity of the sensor have been studied. It has been found that the sensitivity is better for the lower off-resonance excitation frequency. Replacing gold by self-assembled monolayers like thiol does not improve sensitivity much. Further, adding ZrO2 as the fourth layer does not improve the sensitivity of the four layers configuration.

Banshi D. Gupta

Papers

Fiber-Optic Sensors Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance: A Comprehensive Review

Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Fiber Optic Sensors: Principle, Probe Designs, and Some Applications

On the performance of different bimetallic combinations in surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensors

Sensitivity enhancement of a surface plasmon resonance based biomolecules sensor using graphene and silicon layers

Sensitivity evaluation of a multi-layered surface plasmon resonance-based fiber optic sensor: a theoretical study