A novel Mxene-SPR-based sensor for sensing different types of cancers

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Early-stage cancer detection relies on sensitive biofluid analysis.
• Optical transducers offer a promising approach for detecting minute refractive-index deviations.
• Surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) biosensors are key for high-sensitivity biomolecular detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model and optimize a novel SPR biosensor using MXene for enhanced sensitivity in detecting cancer-related refractive-index changes.
• To evaluate the performance of different configurations of copper, silicon nitride, and MXene layers.
• To assess the sensor's potential for early-stage cancer screening.

Main Methods:

• Kretschmann geometry SPR biosensor modeling.
• Transfer-matrix calculations for layer-by-layer optimization.
• Evaluation of sensor response to tumor-related refractive-index increments (Δn).

Main Results:

• Optimized configurations (Sys₃ and Sys₄) with MXene layers demonstrated significantly increased angular sensitivity (254° RIU⁻¹ and 312° RIU⁻¹).
• Detection limits near 2 × 10⁻⁵ RIU were achieved, sufficient for detecting small refractive-index changes.
• Low optical loss (<9% in Sys₃, <8% in Sys₄) was maintained, ensuring signal contrast.

Conclusions:

• A copper platform augmented with MXene and Si₃N₄ can achieve state-of-the-art SPR biosensor sensitivity.
• This approach offers a promising, low-temperature fabrication route for sensitive cancer screening tools.
• Further research should focus on surface chemistry, fabrication, and clinical validation.