Sensitivity of crescent-shaped metal nanoparticles to attachment of dielectric colloids

The response of the plasmonic resonances of crescent-shaped nanoparticles to the attachment of a dielectric colloidal particle was investigated. The colloid serves as a model analyte which is easy to handle and allows for benchmarking of the sensing capabilities of plasmonic resonators. A clear red shift of the resonances is observed in agreement with the prediction from numerical simulations. From the response for different colloid positions, we obtain information on the nanoscale near field distribution. A field localization to length scales of 20 nm is proven directly. All resonators under study show a comparable response which is important for possible sensing application. We estimate that a further increase of the sensitivity by a factor of 8 would allow for label-free single biomolecule detection.