Recent Developments in Plasmonic Nanostructures for Metal Enhanced Fluorescence-Based Biosensing

Abstract

Metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is a unique phenomenon of surface plasmons, where light interacts with the metallic nanostructures and produces electromagnetic fields to enhance the sensitivity of fluorescence-based detection. In particular, this enhancement in sensing capacity is of importance to many research areas, including medical diagnostics, forensic science, and biotechnology. The article covers the basic mechanism of MEF and recent developments in plasmonic nanostructures fabrication for efficient fluorescence signal enhancement that are critically reviewed. The implications of current fluorescence-based technologies for biosensors are summarized, which are in practice to detect different analytes relevant to food control, medical diagnostics, and forensic science. Furthermore, characteristics of existing fabrication methods have been compared on the basis of their resolution, design flexibility, and throughput. The future projections emphasize exploring the potential of non-conventional materials and hybrid fabrication techniques to further enhance the sensitivity of MEF-based biosensors.

Nanoparticles in analytical laser and plasma spectroscopy – a review of recent developments in methodology and applications

“…418 Some of these coupling interactions are related to the spectral overlap between surface plasmons and the emission band of the analyte, and each of them dominates SEF on different separation distances between the uorophore and the metallic NP. 566,567 Localized surface plasmon resonance inuences SEF through the increase of the excitation rate, by enhancing the local electromagnetic eld. This effect is similar to the electromagnetic enhancement of SERS.…”

“…The analytes are excited by the non-radiative energy transfer from NPs and transmit this energy to the far-eld through radiative transfer, resulting in enhanced uorescence intensity. 567 The rate of the energy transfer can be controlled by ne-tuning the metallic structures, which, due to the enhanced rate of radiative decay, will further decrease the uorescence lifetime of the uorophore. 567 As it can be expected, SEF is strongly affected by characteristics of the metallic NPs.…”

“…567 The rate of the energy transfer can be controlled by ne-tuning the metallic structures, which, due to the enhanced rate of radiative decay, will further decrease the uorescence lifetime of the uorophore. 567 As it can be expected, SEF is strongly affected by characteristics of the metallic NPs. The type of metal determines the useful plasmonic wavelength region, which is further narrowed by the particles' size and shape.…”

Characterization of Plasmonic Scattering, Luminescent Down-Shifting, and Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence and Applications on Silicon Solar Cells

“…As shown in Figure 3, the SPR wavelength range of Ag-NP samples was roughly 350 to 550 nm. In samples with an optimal distance between the fluorescent particles and the metallic particles, the range of wavelengths associated with the coupling of fluorescence emission and SPR affected the characteristic fluorescence emissions [33]. The fact that the PL emission range from species-500 phosphors was within the SPR wavelength range of the Ag: 3-nm NPs resulted in good coupling, which was referred to as MEF.…”

Nanoparticle and Bioparticle Deposition Kinetics: Quartz Microbalance Measurements

“…[ 7 , 8 ]. They also serve as analytical sensors in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) [ 9 , 10 ]. A large surface area and surface energy make the noble metal and other nanoparticles such as silica, titanium, zinc and copper oxides valuable materials for catalysis [ 11 , 12 ].…”