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Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy...
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Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Photochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 14686

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kai Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: plasmonics; colloidal self-assembly; infrared spectroscopy
Dr. Arif Engin Çetin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
Interests: plasmonics; microfluidics; label-free biosensing; nanofabrication; mid-IR spectroscopy
Dr. Thu Hac Huong Le

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Device Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology(AIST), Tokyo, Japan
Interests: plasmonics; metamaterials; strong light–matter interactions; nanofluidics; analytical chemistry
Prof. Dr. Vladimir V. Kitaev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Interests: nanoparticle synthesis; plasmonic nanoparticles; polymer; colloids; photochemistry; electrochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic nanoparticles or nanostructures support localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), which can significantly enhance light–matter interactions. At resonances, such nanostructures can concentrate the incident light into nanoscale volumes (“hot spots”) around the nanostructures. Additionally, LSPRs can be readily tuned in a broad wavelength range by changing the constituting materials, shape, or size of the nanoparticles as well as their environment. A wide variety of nanoparticles or nanostructures can be fabricated by top-down, bottom-up, or other lithographic tools, enabling different functions for a broad range of applications, including molecular spectroscopy and sensing. 

When molecules are placed inside these “hotspots”, they experience much stronger near-field intensity, giving rise to considerably enhanced signals, be they scattering or absorption, which accounts for the underlining mechanism of plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy (including surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy) that promises ultrasensitive detection and characterization of molecules even down to the single-molecule level. In addition, plasmonic nanoparticles exhibit high sensitivity toward the refractive index changes of the media, making them attractive candidates for biosensing applications. Although great progress has been achieved in elucidating the enhancement mechanism, enhancing molecular sensitivity, and miniaturizing devices for future applications, there are still plenty of issues that need to be addressed to accomplish the great potential of these resonant nanostructures. For example, the inherent Ohmic loss within metals has posed challenges for the practical applications of plasmonics. To this end, resonance nanostructures based on Mie resonances with high-refractive-index materials have recently attracted a great deal of attention, offering alternative routes for molecular spectroscopy and sensing complementary to metallic nanostructures. Therefore, this Special Issue is organized to invite original research and review articles covering but not limited to the following topics:

  • Physical mechanism and rational design of resonant nanostructures;
  • Emerging materials for resonant nanostructures including noble metals, dielectrics, graphene, metal oxides, etc.;
  • Novel fabrication and characterization methods of resonant nanostructures;
  • Surface-enhanced Raman scattering;
  • Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy;
  • Strong coupling between plasmon resonances and molecular vibrations, lattice phonons, Fano resonance etc.;
  • Coupled plasmonic systems in biosensing, biomedical applications, as well as in modification of chemical reactions.

Prof. Dr. Kai Chen
Dr. Arif Engin Çetin
Dr. Thu Hac Huong Le
Prof. Dr. Vladimir V. Kitaev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface plasmon
  • Mie resonance
  • Fano resonance
  • surface-enhanced spectroscopy
  • nanoparticles
  • near-field
  • strong light–matter interactions
  • coupled plasmonic systems

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2904 KiB  
Article
Large-Area Ordered Palladium Nanostructures by Colloidal Lithography for Hydrogen Sensing
by Feng Xu, Zhiliang Zhang, Jun Ma, Churong Ma, Bai-Ou Guan and Kai Chen
Molecules 2022, 27(18), 6100; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27186100 - 18 Sep 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2259
Abstract
Reliable gas sensors are very important for hydrogen (H2) gas detection and storage. Detection methods based on palladium (Pd) metal are cost-effective and widely studied. When Pd is exposed to H2, it turns into palladium hydride with modified optical [...] Read more.
Reliable gas sensors are very important for hydrogen (H2) gas detection and storage. Detection methods based on palladium (Pd) metal are cost-effective and widely studied. When Pd is exposed to H2, it turns into palladium hydride with modified optical properties, which thus can be monitored for H2 sensing. Here, we fabricated large-area Pd nanostructures, including Pd nanotriangles and nanohole arrays, using colloidal lithography and systematically studied their H2-sensing performance. After hydrogen absorption, both the Pd nanoholes and nanotriangles showed clear transmittance changes in the visible–near infrared range, consistent with numerical simulation results. The influences of the structural parameters (period of the array P and diameter of the nanohole D) of the two structures are further studied, as different structural parameters can affect the hydrogen detection effect of the two structures. The nanohole arrays exhibited bigger transmittance changes than the nanotriangle arrays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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11 pages, 3238 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study of a Quad-Band Metamaterial-Based Plasmonic Perfect Absorber as a Biosensor
by Semih Korkmaz, Evren Oktem, Ramin Yazdaanpanah, Serap Aksu and Mustafa Turkmen
Molecules 2022, 27(14), 4576; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144576 - 18 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2125
Abstract
We present a metamaterial-based perfect absorber (PA) that strongly supports four resonances covering a wide spectral range from 1.8 µm to 10 µm of the electromagnetic spectrum. The designed perfect absorber has metal–dielectric–metal layers where a MgF2 spacer is sandwiched between an [...] Read more.
We present a metamaterial-based perfect absorber (PA) that strongly supports four resonances covering a wide spectral range from 1.8 µm to 10 µm of the electromagnetic spectrum. The designed perfect absorber has metal–dielectric–metal layers where a MgF2 spacer is sandwiched between an optically thick gold film and patterned gold nanoantennas. The spectral tuning of PA is achieved by calibrating the geometrical parameters numerically and experimentally. The manufactured quad-band plasmonic PA absorbs light close to the unity. Moreover, the biosensing capacity of the PA is tested using a 14 kDa S100A9 antibody, which is a clinically relevant biomarker for brain metastatic cancer cells. We utilize a UV-based photochemical immobilization technique for patterning of the antibody monolayer on a gold surface. Our results reveal that the presented PA is eligible for ultrasensitive detection of such small biomarkers in a point-of-care device to potentially personalize radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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12 pages, 3001 KiB  
Article
Facile Synthesis of Porous Ag Crystals as SERS Sensor for Detection of Five Methamphetamine Analogs
by Yazhou Qin, Fan Mo, Sen Yao, Yuanzhao Wu, Yingsheng He and Weixuan Yao
Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3939; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27123939 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2467
Abstract
Porous noble metal nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention due to their high specific surface area and surface plasmon resonance effect. However, it is difficult to form porous structures due to the high mobility and low reduction potential of noble metal precursors. In this [...] Read more.
Porous noble metal nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention due to their high specific surface area and surface plasmon resonance effect. However, it is difficult to form porous structures due to the high mobility and low reduction potential of noble metal precursors. In this article, we developed a facile method for preparing porous Ag with a controllable structure at room temperature. Two kinds of Ag crystals with different porous structures were successfully prepared by using AgCl cubes as sacrificial templates. Through the galvanic replacement reaction of Zn and AgCl, Ag crystals with a sponge-like porous structure were successfully prepared. Additionally, using NaBH4 as the reducing agent, we prepared granular porous Ag cubes by optimizing the amount of reducing agent. Both the sponge-like and granular porous Ag cubes have clean and accessible surfaces. In addition, we used the prepared two porous Ag cubes as substrate materials for SERS detection of five kinds of methamphetamine analogs. The experimental results show that the enhancement effect of granular porous Ag is better than that of sponge-like porous Ag. Furthermore, we probed the hot spot distribution of granular porous Ag by Raman mapping. By using granular porous Ag as the substrate material, we have achieved trace detection of 5 kinds of methamphetamine analogs including Ephedrine, Amphetamine, N-Methyl-1-(benzofuran-5-yl)propan-2-amine (5-MAPB), N-Methyl-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-amine (PMMA) and N-Methyl-1-(4-fluorophenyl)propan-2-amine (4-FMA). Furthermore, to achieve qualitative differentiation of analogs with similar structures we performed density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations on the Raman spectra of the above analogs. The DFT calculations provided the vibrational frequencies, Raman activities, and normal mode assignment for each analog, enabling the qualitative differentiation of the above analogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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10 pages, 1798 KiB  
Article
Application of Dual-Enhanced Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Probe Technology in the Diagnosis of Tumor Cells in Vitro
by Yinping Zhao, Yawei Kong, Liwen Chen, Han Sheng, Yiyan Fei, Lan Mi, Bei Li and Jiong Ma
Molecules 2022, 27(11), 3582; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27113582 - 2 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2293
Abstract
With the development of precision medicine, antigen/antibody-targeted therapy has brought great hope to tumor patients; however, the migration of tumor cells, especially a small number of cells flowing into blood or other tissues, remains a clinical challenge. In particular, it is difficult to [...] Read more.
With the development of precision medicine, antigen/antibody-targeted therapy has brought great hope to tumor patients; however, the migration of tumor cells, especially a small number of cells flowing into blood or other tissues, remains a clinical challenge. In particular, it is difficult to use functional gold nanomaterials for targeted clinical tumor diagnosis while simultaneously obtaining stable and highly sensitive Raman signals. Therefore, we developed a detection method for functional Au Nanostars (AuNSs) with dual signal enhancement that can specifically track location and obtain high-intensity surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals. First, AuNSs with specific optical properties were synthesized and functionalized. The Raman dye 4-mercapto-hydroxybenzoic acid and polyethylene glycol were coupled with the tumor marker, epidermal growth factor receptor, to obtain the targeted SERS probes. In addition, a detection chip was prepared for Raman detection with physical enhancement, exhibiting a 40-times higher signal intensity than that of quartz glass. This study combines physical enhancement and SERS enhancement technologies to achieve dual enhancement, enabling the detection of a highly sensitive and stable Raman signal; this has potential clinical value for antigen/antibody-targeted tumor diagnosis and treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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11 pages, 1369 KiB  
Article
Coherent Surface Plasmon Hole Burning via Spontaneously Generated Coherence
by Habibur Rahman, Hazrat Ali, Rafi Ud Din, Iftikhar Ahmad, Mahidur R. Sarker and Sawal Hamid Md Ali
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6497; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216497 - 27 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1855
Abstract
Surface plasmon (SP)—induced spectral hole burning (SHB) at the silver-dielectric interface is investigated theoretically. We notice a typical lamb dip at a selective frequency, which abruptly reduces the absorption spectrum of the surface plasmons polaritons (SPP). Introducing the spontaneous generated coherence (SGC) in [...] Read more.
Surface plasmon (SP)—induced spectral hole burning (SHB) at the silver-dielectric interface is investigated theoretically. We notice a typical lamb dip at a selective frequency, which abruptly reduces the absorption spectrum of the surface plasmons polaritons (SPP). Introducing the spontaneous generated coherence (SGC) in the atomic medium, the slope of dispersion becomes normal. Additionally, slow SPP propagation is also noticed at the interface. The spectral hole burning dip is enhanced with the SGC effect and can be modified and controlled with the frequency and intensity of the driving fields. The SPP propagation length at the hole-burning region is greatly enhanced under the effect of SGC. A propagation length of the order of 600 µm is achieved for the modes, which is a remarkable result. The enhancement of plasmon hole burning under SGC will find significant applications in sensing technology, optical communication, optical tweezers and nano-photonics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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8 pages, 1842 KiB  
Article
Broadband and Highly Directional Visible Light Scattering by Laser-Splashed Lossless TiO2 Nanoparticles
by Yinan Zhang, Shiren Chen and Jing Han
Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6106; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206106 - 10 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2571
Abstract
All-dielectric nanoparticles, as the counterpart of metallic nanostructures have recently attracted significant interest in manipulating light-matter interaction at a nanoscale. Directional scattering, as an important property of nanoparticles, has been investigated in traditional high refractive index materials, such as silicon, germanium and gallium [...] Read more.
All-dielectric nanoparticles, as the counterpart of metallic nanostructures have recently attracted significant interest in manipulating light-matter interaction at a nanoscale. Directional scattering, as an important property of nanoparticles, has been investigated in traditional high refractive index materials, such as silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide in a narrow band range. Here in this paper, we demonstrate that a broadband forward scattering across the entire visible range can be achieved by the low loss TiO2 nanoparticles with moderate refractive index. This mainly stems from the optical interferences between the broadband electric dipole and the magnetic dipole modes. The forward/backward scattering ratio reaches maximum value at the wavelengths satisfying the first Kerker’s condition. Experimentally, the femtosecond pulsed laser was employed to splash different-sized nanoparticles from a thin TiO2 film deposited on the glass substrate. Single particle scattering measurement in both the forward and backward direction was performed by a homemade confocal microscopic system, demonstrating the broadband forward scattering feature. Our research holds great promise for many applications such as light harvesting, photodetection and on-chip photonic devices and so on. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Resonant Nanostructures and Their Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy and Sensing)
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