Zero-mode waveguides can be made better: fluorescence enhancement with rectangular aluminum nanoapertures from the visible to the deep ultraviolet.

ABSTRACT: Nanoapertures milled in metallic films called zero-mode waveguides (ZMWs) overcome the limitations of classical confocal microscopes by enabling single molecule analysis at micromolar concentrations with improved fluorescence brightness. While the ZMWs have found many applications in single molecule fluorescence studies, their shape has been mainly limited to be circular. Owing to the large parameter space to explore and the lack of guidelines, earlier attempts using more elaborate shapes have led to unclear conclusions whether or not the performance was improved as compared to a circular ZMW. Here, we comparatively analyze the performance of rectangular-shaped nanoapertures milled in aluminum to enhance the fluorescence emission rate of single molecules from the near infrared to the deep

SUBMITTER: Baibakov M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9417158 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature