Self-Assembled 3D Nanosplit Rings for Plasmon-Enhanced Optofluidic Sensing

Plasmonic sensors are commonly defined on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces with an enhanced electromagnetic field only near the surface, which requires precise positioning of the targeted molecules within hotspots. To address this challenge, we realize segmented nanocylinders that incorporate plasmonic (1-50 nm) gaps within three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures (nanocylinders) using electron irradiation triggered self-assembly. The 3D structures allow desired plasmonic patterns on their inner cylindrical walls forming the nanofluidic channels. The nanocylinders bridge nanoplasmonics and nanofluidics by achieving electromagnetic field enhancement and fluid confinement simultaneously. This hybrid system enables rapid diffusion of targeted species to the larger spatial hotspots in the 3D plasmonic structures, leading to enhanced interactions that contribute to a higher sensitivity. This concept has been demonstrated by characterizing an optical response of the 3D plasmonic nanostructures using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which shows enhancement over a 22 times higher intensity for hemoglobin fingerprints with nanocylinders compared to 2D nanostructures.