Plasmonic Sensors: Advances and Applications

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 848

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: refractive index sensor; integrated photonics; plasmonic technology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: optical fiber sensors; the interaction of laser beams with nanoparticles; the development of plasmonic based sensors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past three decades, we have witnessed intense research and development activity in the field of plasmonic sensors, driven by their unique characteristics of sub-wavelength confinement and strong light–matter interaction offered by the profound exposure of plasmonic modes to the ambient environment. This unmatched feature makes plasmonic sensors extremely sensitive to local refractive index changes, establishing them as a leading solution in optical sensing. Plasmonic sensors rely on the excitation of either propagating or localized plasmonic modes, leading to various types of plasmonic sensing devices including SPR sensors, integrated all-plasmonic or plasmo-photonic sensors and nanoplasmonic sensors. This versatility enables the design of novel devices with extraordinary performance, paving the way for breakthroughs in both fundamental research and practical applications.

Ιn this Special Issue, we aim to highlight recent advances in plasmonic sensor configurations, addressing key challenges in enhancing sensitivity, limit of detection, stability, and multiplexed detection while exploring their application in real world scenarios such as medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, life science research, environmental monitoring, and food safety.

We welcome original research articles, both theoretical and experimental, as well as comprehensive reviews. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors;
  • Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensors;
  • Integrated plasmonic sensors;
  • Hybrid photonic-plasmonic sensors;
  • Advanced fabrication techniques for plasmonic sensors;  
  • Biosensing applications for healthcare and point-of-care diagnostics;
  • Environmental and chemical sensing;
  • Food safety applications;
  • Gas sensing;
  • Temperature sensing.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Evangelia Chatzianagnostou
Dr. Dimosthenis Spasopoulos
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plasmonic sensors
  • SPR sensors
  • localized SPR sensors
  • nanoplasmonic sensors
  • plasmo-photonic sensors
  • biosensing and point-of-care diagnostics
  • temperature sensing
  • gas sensing
  • food safety
  • environmental sensing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1816 KB  
Article
Photonic Crystal Fiber–Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor for Precise Biochemical Refractive Index Sensing
by Lalit Garia, Rajeev Kumar, Chang-Won Yoon and Mangal Sain
Photonics 2026, 13(3), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13030259 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 613
Abstract
In this work, a D-shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) sensor with a detection range of 1.30–1.35 is proposed, including Gold (Au), Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), graphene, and a functionalized sensing region. Instead of filling or coating inside the PCF’s air holes, the [...] Read more.
In this work, a D-shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) sensor with a detection range of 1.30–1.35 is proposed, including Gold (Au), Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), graphene, and a functionalized sensing region. Instead of filling or coating inside the PCF’s air holes, the Gold (Au) layer is applied to the polished surface. The effects of the larger air holes’ diameter and the thickness of the Au layer are examined. To achieve effective RI sensing, the proposed design leverages the strong coupling between the core mode and the Surface Plasmon (SP) excitation mode. Modal dispersion, confinement loss, and electric field distributions are analyzed for analyte RI values ranging from 1.30 to 1.35 using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The sensor demonstrates improved plasmonic excitation with a maximum Wavelength Sensitivity (WS) of 3000 nm/RIU (Au = 45 nm), strong confinement loss of more than 788.39 dB/cm (at Au = 40 nm), and a highest Figure of Merit (FoM) of 62.5/RIU (at Au = 40 nm with RI = 1.32). The TiO2 layer enhances mode coupling and resonance sharpness, while the optimized Au thickness boosts sensitivity and spectral resolution. Additionally, the blood components reach the WS of 5000 nm/RIU for plasma and 3000 nm/RIU for Krypton. Because of its high tunability and repeatable performance, the PCF–SPR biosensor is a promising choice for precise biochemical and biomedical sensing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonic Sensors: Advances and Applications)
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