Localized surface plasmon resonance based nanobiosensors.

Abstract

When the distances between two or more plasmonic nanoparticles are very small, the plasmon resonance scattering spectra are greatly enhanced and distinct colour changes occur due to the coupling of the particles. Similar to fluorescence resonance energy transfer, plasmonic coupling is also distance dependent. Thus, researchers have fabricated colorimetric sensors by modulating the distance between nanoparticles, which have been used in a wide variety of applications, including DNA hybridisation, heavy-metal-ion detection, and protein binding. In this chapter, we primarily focus on the coupling of single particles, which enables the single-molecule detection through enhanced sensitivity.