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Terahertz Metasurface with Ultrastrong Hotspots Empowered by QBIC
Shuocheng She1, Jiachen Zuo2, Yang Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Analytical Chemistry
|January 14, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a terahertz metasurface biosensor utilizing quasi-bound state in the continuum (QBIC) resonance for enhanced light-matter interactions. The novel sensor achieves ultrasensitive detection of lung cancer cells and biomarkers, paving the way for early cancer screening.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Quasi-bound state in the continuum (QBIC) enhances light-matter interactions, crucial for ultrasensitive biosensing with metasurfaces.
- Conventional QBIC metasurface detection faces limitations due to restricted hotspots and heterogeneous analyte distribution.
- Developing advanced biosensors is vital for early disease detection and clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel terahertz (THz) metasurface biosensor leveraging QBIC resonance.
- To enhance light-matter interactions and address limitations of existing QBIC metasurface detection methods.
- To achieve highly sensitive, label-free detection of lung cancer cells and specific biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Engineered a THz metasurface with geometric symmetry-breaking perturbation to excite QBIC resonance.
- Dynamically tuned the quality (Q) factor of the QBIC resonance.
- Utilized ionic liquids (ILs) modification to suppress the coffee-ring effect and ensure uniform analyte distribution.
- Performed quantitative detection of lung cancer cells and uridine diphosphate glucose (UDP-glucose).
Main Results:
- The QBIC resonance significantly enhanced hotspot regions (~1300%) and light field intensity (~200%) compared to conventional dipole resonance.
- Achieved highly sensitive, label-free quantitative detection of lung cancer cells with a minimum concentration of 200 cells/mm².
- Demonstrated an ultralow limit of detection (LoD) of 0.977 pmol/μL for UDP-glucose by suppressing the coffee-ring effect with ILs.
Conclusions:
- The proposed THz metasurface biosensor effectively overcomes limitations of hotspot distribution and analyte heterogeneity.
- The developed sensor offers precise, rapid, and highly sensitive biodetection capabilities.
- This technology holds significant potential for clinical applications, particularly in early screening of lung cancer metastasis.
