Fluorescence enhancement by hollow plasmonic assembly and its biosensing application

Area of Science:

• Nanophotonics
• Plasmonics
• Biomedical Sensing

Background:

• Surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) is a phenomenon used to enhance light emission.
• Existing SPCE methods have limitations in signal enhancement and sensitivity.
• Hollow plasmonic structures offer potential for novel optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the enhancement of SPCE using a hollow plasmonic structure.
• To explore the application of this enhanced SPCE system for biomolecule detection.
• To develop a sensitive fluorescence-based sensing platform.

Main Methods:

• Assembling gold nanoshells (GNSs) on a gold substrate via electrostatic adsorption.
• Applying a fluorophore layer using spin-coating.
• Characterizing the enhanced SPCE signals and analyzing the underlying plasmonic mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Achieved 30-fold and 110-fold enhancements in SPCE signals compared to normal SPCE and free space emission, respectively.
• Identified a novel "hot-spot" plasmonic structure contributing to signal enhancement.
• Demonstrated the system's suitability for biomolecule detection as an immunosensor.

Conclusions:

• The GNS-enhanced SPCE system utilizing a hollow plasmonic structure significantly improves fluorescence detection sensitivity.
• This approach offers a simple and effective method for enhancing fluorescence signals in sensing and imaging.
• The developed immunosensor shows promise for sensitive and specific biomolecule detection.