Universal Approach to Rapid Amplified Plasmonic Sensing Using Helix Defect Phase Transition Polymers

Abstract

Permittivity sensing is a critically important analytical tool for bioscience, environmental, and industrial applications. The response time for commonly used plasmonic permittivity sensors is fundamentally set by the reaction kinetics of chemically adsorbed analytes. In this work, the proposal is to overcome this limit by combining plasmonic sensors with phase transition materials possessing a rapid amplified electrostatic response such as quadrupole moment induced molecular helix reversal. As a proof‐of‐concept, rapid sensing of CO2 on a phase transition polytetrafluoroethylene substrate and amplification of permittivity response in plasmonic Fabry–Perot sensor is shown. The demonstrated universal approach holds promise for a wide range of applications in fast, real time sensing and monitoring of biological and environmental processes.

Plasmonic Nanostructure Lattices for High‐Performance Sensing

“…For example, helix reversal can be formed after exposure to CO 2 in crystalline polymers and lead to rapid amplified RI changes. [ 173 ] Combining plasmonic components with the phase transition PTFE substrate, selective CO 2 detection with relatively low sensitivity (LOD of 1000 ppm) is demonstrated. [ 173 ] Even though performance improvements are needed, the mechanism of incorporating reaction‐induced phase transition polymers with plasmonic nanostructures to enhance the selectivity is expected to be generic and provide promise for a wide range of sensor designs.…”

Metal–Organic Frameworks‐Based Fabry−Pérot Cavity Encapsulated TiO2 Nanoparticles for Selective Chemical Sensing

“…The cavity features have been widely applied in spectral filters, [6,7] photoluminescence modification, [8] nanolasers, [9] and sensors. [10,11] The F-P sensor is constructed by attaching a thin and sensitive diaphragm onto one end face of a reflector to form an extrinsic interferometric structure [12] and the sensitive In addition, hybrid MOF films embedded with functional guest species have received attractive attention for practical applications on adsorption/separation, catalysis, and sensors. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33] In particular, hybridization of TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) in MOFs can enhance their adsorption by providing additional active sites because of their special physicochemical properties such as super-hydrophilic.…”

“…The cavity features have been widely applied in spectral filters, [ 6,7 ] photoluminescence modification, [ 8 ] nanolasers, [ 9 ] and sensors. [ 10,11 ] The F–P sensor is constructed by attaching a thin and sensitive diaphragm onto one end face of a reflector to form an extrinsic interferometric structure [ 12 ] and the sensitive layer determines the functionality of the F–P cavity. The traditional diaphragm uses inorganic materials or polymers to achieve color filters.…”