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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
Laser-induced thermal effect in surface plasmon resonance.
Xiujuan Xiao1, Yu Gao, Juan Xiang
1Institute of Surface Analysis and Biosensing, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, PR China.
Analytica Chimica Acta
|August 31, 2010
Summary
Laser-induced heating causes significant errors in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements, especially for subtle signals. Understanding thermal dissipation is key to improving SPR accuracy for sensitive applications.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a sensitive technique for monitoring molecular interactions.
- Laser-induced thermal effects can introduce significant errors in SPR measurements, particularly for low-magnitude signals.
- Accurate quantification of minute changes, such as monolayer reorganization or protein conformational shifts, is crucial in various scientific fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of laser-induced thermal effects on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) measurements.
- To identify factors influencing laser-induced thermal effects and their contribution to SPR signal errors.
- To propose strategies for mitigating thermal effects and enhancing the accuracy of SPR data.
Main Methods:
- Examined laser-induced thermal effects by monitoring SPR response to ethanol injection in a flow cell with gold films.
- Investigated the influence of solution flow rate, adsorbate layer compactness, and laser power on SPR dip shift.
- Analyzed the dependence of SPR dip shift on laser power and thermal dissipation at the metal-solution interface.
Main Results:
- A maximum relative error of 21% was observed due to laser-induced thermal effects.
- SPR dip shift was found to depend on laser power and thermal dissipation efficiency.
- Failure to account for thermal effects can decrease accuracy by over 40% in specific applications, such as analyzing self-assembled monolayers.
Conclusions:
- Laser-induced thermal effects are a critical source of error in SPR measurements, particularly for detecting small signals.
- Understanding thermal dissipation mechanisms and temperature dependence of SPR is essential for improving data accuracy.
- Implementing measures to control or reduce thermal effects is necessary for reliable SPR analysis and interpretation of sensitive molecular events.
