Towards scalable plasmonic Fano-resonant metasurfaces for colorimetric sensing

Area of Science:

• Plasmonics and Nanophotonics
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Optical Sensing Technologies

Background:

• Practical applications of plasmonic metasurfaces are hindered by manufacturing complexity and material costs.
• Need for robust, scalable metasurface designs utilizing earth-abundant metals like aluminum.
• Integration of visible coloration and Fano resonances is key for advanced optical functionalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a manufacturable plasmonic metasurface combining visible coloration and Fano resonances.
• To evaluate the potential of this metasurface for reflective colorimetric and strain sensing.
• To explore its utility in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) refractive index sensing.

Main Methods:

• Design of meta-atoms optimized for scalable manufacturing and robustness.
• Utilized aluminum as an inexpensive, earth-abundant plasmonic material.
• Investigated the metasurface's optical response for sensing applications.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a plasmonic metasurface morphology amenable to scalable manufacturing.
• Showcased visible coloration and Fano resonance properties.
• Evaluated potential for reflective strain sensing and LSPR refractive index sensing.

Conclusions:

• Streamlined meta-atom design and low-cost aluminum metallization enable inexpensive sensor readout.
• The developed metasurface is a promising candidate for reflective colorimetric and strain sensing applications.
• Potential for human optical perception-based sensing readout.