Highly Sensitive TiO₂/Au/Graphene Layer-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for Cancer Detection.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensors are crucial for sensitive biomolecule detection.
• Existing SPR sensors face limitations in sensitivity and specificity for early cancer diagnosis.
• Hybrid nanomaterials offer potential for enhanced performance in biosensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and numerically analyze a novel hybrid TiO2/Au/graphene layer-based SPR biosensor.
• To evaluate the sensor's sensitivity and capability for detecting various types of cancer cells.
• To investigate the impact of material composition and structure on sensor performance.

Main Methods:

• Numerical analysis using the Finite Element Method (FEM).
• Design of an SPR biosensor based on the Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) method.
• Simulation of sensor response to variations in refractive index of normal and cancerous cells.

Main Results:

• The TiO2/Au/graphene sensor achieved high sensitivities for multiple cancer cell types (e.g., 292.86 deg/RIU for breast cancer).
• Demonstrated excellent detection accuracy (DA), figure of merit (FOM), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
• Analyzed electric and magnetic field distributions, showing enhanced fields under resonant conditions and a penetration depth of 180 nm.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hybrid TiO2/Au/graphene SPR biosensor offers significantly improved sensitivity for cancer cell detection compared to previous studies.
• The sensor exhibits high linearity (R² = 0.9858) and broad applicability for biological solutions.
• This advanced biosensor holds promise for more effective and accurate cancer diagnostics.