Research Progress on Nanomaterials in SPR Sensors

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors face limitations in sensitivity and localized electromagnetic field confinement.
• These limitations hinder the detection of low-abundance analytes, a critical need in various biological and chemical sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in nanomaterial-enhanced SPR sensors for improved biomolecular detection.
• To analyze the mechanisms and applications of various nanomaterials in SPR sensing.
• To identify challenges and propose future directions for practical SPR sensor development.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on SPR sensing principles and nanomaterial enhancement.
• Analysis of enhancement mechanisms for noble metal nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), and 2D nanomaterials.
• Comparative benchmarking of different nanomaterials based on sensitivity enhancement and stability.

Main Results:

• Noble metal nanoparticles, MNPs, and 2D nanomaterials offer significant enhancement mechanisms for SPR sensors.
• These nanomaterials have demonstrated applications in detecting small molecules, nucleic acids, and biomacromolecules.
• Key challenges include environmental stability (thermal cross-sensitivity, oxidative degradation), reproducibility, and standardization.

Conclusions:

• Nanomaterial enhancement is crucial for overcoming the limitations of conventional SPR sensors.
• Further research is needed to address industrialization bottlenecks and develop robust, standardized, and cost-effective SPR sensing systems.
• Future directions include novel material development and flexible wearable sensing platforms.