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Ultrasensitive detection and characterization of biomolecules using superchiral fields
E Hendry1, T Carpy, J Johnston
1School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
Nature Nanotechnology
|November 2, 2010
Summary
Superchiral electromagnetic fields offer a highly sensitive method for probing biomolecular structure. This technique enhances detection sensitivity for chiral supramolecular structures, enabling picogram-level characterization.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics
- Chiral metamaterials
- Spectroscopic analysis of biomolecules
Background:
- Spectroscopic analysis of large biomolecules is crucial for biomedical diagnostics and pathogen detection.
- Current spectroscopic techniques lack sensitivity for probing biomolecular structure.
- Existing methods can detect molecules at nanogram levels but struggle with structural analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a highly sensitive method for probing chiral supramolecular structure.
- To investigate the use of superchiral electromagnetic fields for enhanced biomolecular analysis.
- To improve the sensitivity of spectroscopic techniques for structural characterization.
Main Methods:
- Generation of superchiral electromagnetic fields via optical excitation of plasmonic planar chiral metamaterials.
- Measurement of differences in effective refractive indices for chiral samples exposed to left- and right-handed superchiral fields.
- Comparison of sensitivity with traditional optical polarimetry measurements.
Main Results:
- Superchiral fields are highly sensitive probes of chiral supramolecular structure.
- Differences in refractive indices were up to 10^6 times greater than in optical polarimetry.
- Picogram quantities of adsorbed molecules could be characterized.
- Biomolecules with chiral planar sheets, like proteins with high beta-sheet content, showed the largest differences.
Conclusions:
- Superchiral electromagnetic fields provide a significant advancement in sensitive biomolecular structure analysis.
- This approach could form the basis for new assaying technologies.
- Potential applications include detecting amyloid diseases and certain viruses.
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