Principles, technologies, and applications of plasmonic biosensors

Abstract

Plasmonic materials and phenomena have been widely studied and applied in multiple fields for a long time. One of the most promising applications is in the engineering of biosensor devices, offering label-free and real-time analysis of biomolecular interactions with excellent performances. In this tutorial, we provide a pedagogical review of the working principles of plasmonic biosensors, main fabrication methods, instrumentation, and general guidelines for their development. Special focus is placed on the biosensor performance characterization and assessment, as well as on the sensor surface biofunctionalization. In the end, we discuss the common procedure to develop and validate biosensors for relevant biomedical and environmental purposes and future perspectives in terms of boosting capabilities and sensor integration in point-of-care platforms.