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Utilization of Plasmonic and Photonic Crystal Nanostructures for Enhanced Micro- and Nanoparticle Manipulation
Published on: September 27, 2011
Nanosphere templated metallic grating assisted enhanced fluorescence.
Ravi Kumar Kannadorai1, U S Dinish, Chit Yaw Fu
1School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
Journal of Fluorescence
|November 15, 2011
Summary
This study demonstrates a 12x fluorescence enhancement using silver nanosphere gratings. This plasmonic effect boosts signal intensity for applications in sensitive detection and imaging.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics
- Nanophotonics
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a phenomenon exploited for enhancing light-matter interactions.
- Nanostructured metallic surfaces offer unique optical properties due to localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs).
- Fluorescence enhancement is crucial for improving the sensitivity of various analytical and imaging techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enhancement of fluorescence using a silver film coated nanosphere templated grating.
- To determine the optimal silver film thickness for plasmon resonance matching with fluorophore excitation wavelengths.
- To experimentally validate the fluorescence enhancement predicted by numerical simulations.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were conducted to identify the plasmon resonance wavelength by varying silver film thickness on 400 nm nanospheres.
- Experimental fabrication of silver film coated nanosphere gratings.
- Fluorescence measurements of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) using the fabricated substrates.
Main Results:
- Numerical simulations predicted plasmon resonance at specific silver film thicknesses.
- Experimental results confirmed significant fluorescence enhancement.
- A 12-fold increase in fluorescence intensity was observed with a 100 nm silver film over nanosphere structure.
- The enhancement was attributed to local field effects and surface plasmon polariton excitation.
Conclusions:
- Silver film coated nanosphere gratings effectively enhance fluorescence.
- Optimizing plasmon resonance with excitation wavelength is key for maximum enhancement.
- This plasmonic nanostructure shows potential for sensitive fluorescence-based detection systems.
