Optimized prism-based surface plasmon resonance sensor for malaria detection: role of 2D nanomaterials for an...

A prism-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is presented for the identification of various phases of malaria. The suggested structure is composed of BK7 prism, copper as metal layer, titanium dioxide (TiO₂), and tellurium dioxide (TeO₂) as a dielectric layer, black phosphorous (BP) as 2D material and an analyte layer. The thickness and the layer count of the suggested structure have been optimized for the analysis of angular reflectivity. The shift in resonance angle has been examined with the help of phase interrogation technique. The electric field intensity is also calculated, and electric field enhancement factor (FEF) is examined using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The simulated result of the proposed structure shows that the use of dielectrics and 2D materials extremely enhances the sensor's performance in comparison with traditional SPR structures. An enhanced sensitivity (S) of 432.83 deg./RIU, quality factor (QF) of 220.07 RIU^-1 and detection accuracy (DA) of 0.5099 deg^-1 have been achieved. The performance parameters were compared with earlier reported works and were found to be better. Additionally, for the accurate detection of malaria disease, the proposed structure is commendable. The design and selection of TiO₂ and TeO₂ as a dielectric layer and BP as nanomaterial, to the best of our knowledge, provide the highest values of performance characteristics for prism-based sensors and makes this work novel.