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Updated: May 23, 2026

Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
Surface plasmon-coupled emission: what can directional fluorescence bring to the analytical sciences?
Shuo-Hui Cao1, Wei-Peng Cai, Qian Liu
1Department of Chemistry and Key Laboratory of Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) enhances fluorescence detection sensitivity by coupling light emitters with metal surfaces. This technique shows promise for advanced bioanalysis and diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Interdisciplinary research combining fluorescence and plasmonics.
Background:
- Surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) integrates fluorescence and plasmonics.
- SPCE reveals novel phenomena with applications in bioanalysis, medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and genomics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the unique features of SPCE.
- To highlight recent advances in SPCE-based analytical platforms and applications.
Main Methods:
- Excited fluorophores couple with surface plasmons on a thin metal film.
- Plasmophores radiate into a higher-refractive index medium with directional emission.
Main Results:
- Directional emission from SPCE allows for improved sensitivity through high collection efficiency.
- SPCE demonstrates potential for enhanced analytical platforms.
Conclusions:
- SPCE offers significant advantages for sensitive detection.
- Applications include DNA sensing and the detection of various biomolecules and chemicals.
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