Surface plasmon-coupled emission from rhodamine- 6G aggregates for ratiometric detection of ethanol vapors

Abstract

Surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE), the phenomenon associated with nanometer thick metal films has been extensively used on account of its enhanced spectral resolution, directional and polarized fluorescence. Here we report the detection of ethanol vapors based on the ability of SPCE to spectrally resolve individual emissions from Rhodamine-6G (R-6G) aggregates encapsulated in chitosan. This study opens doors to a broad spectrum of next generation ratiometric SPCE sensors based on high-resolution spectral determination of nano-environments in a multi-species system. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.