Abstract

Plasmonic Nanopores for Analysis and Detection of Biomolecules

Andreas Dahlin, Associate Professor, Chalmers University of Technology

Plasmonic nanostructures have been used in biosensor applications for over 10 years. Following advancements in nanofabrication techniques, more and more complex structures have been developed. Still, the commercial technique of surface plasmon resonance remains the golden standard for studying biomolecular interactions by refractive index changes on a surface. This is mainly because no nanofabrication is needed as the method only utilizes a planar thin gold film and the resolution in surface coverage is very high (below 0.1 ng/cm2). However, one can envision unique advantages of nanostructured sensor surfaces based on utilizing the structure itself. In this talk I will give examples of such applications based on plasmonic nanopores, i.e. nanoscale apertures in thin gold films. For instance, I will describe how polymer-functionalized nanopores act as molecular filters or nanoscale sieves, offering the possibility to isolate small molecules to be detected from complex mixtures. This can be utilized to improve specificity in detection of small analytes. Various other applications where the plasmonic nanopores provide special benefits will also be presented.