Plasmon-Enhanced Ultrasensitive Surface Analysis Using Ag Nanoantenna

Anal Chem. 2018 Feb 6;90(3):2018-2022. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04113. Epub 2018 Jan 10.

Abstract

Raman scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy permeate analytic science and are featured in the plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy (PES) family. However, the modest enhancement of plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) significantly limits the sensitivity in surface analysis and material characterization. Herein, we report a Ag nanoantenna platform, which simultaneously fulfills very strong emission (an optimum average enhancement of 105-fold) and an ultrafast emission rate (∼280-fold) in PES. For applications in surface science, this platform has been examined with a diverse array of fluorophores. Meanwhile, we utilized a finite-element method (FEM) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) to comprehensively investigate the mechanism of largely enhanced radiative decay. PES with a shell-isolated Ag nanoantenna will open a wealth of advanced scenarios for ultrasensitive surface analysis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't