Frequency comb transferred by surface plasmon resonance.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Frequency combs, millions of narrow-linewidth optical modes referenced to an atomic clock, have shown remarkable potential in time/frequency metrology, atomic/molecular spectroscopy and precision LIDARs. Applications have extended to coherent nonlinear Raman spectroscopy of molecules and quantum metrology for entangled atomic qubits. Frequency combs will create novel possibilities in nano-photonics and plasmonics; however, its interrelation with surface plasmons is unexplored despite the important role that plasmonics plays in nonlinear spectroscopy and quantum optics through the manipulation of light on a subwavelength scale. Here, we demonstrate that a frequency comb can be transformed to a plasmonic comb in plasmonic nanostructures and reverted to the original frequency comb without noticeable degradation of <6.51 × 10(-19) in absolute position, 2.92 × 10(-19) in stability and 1 Hz in linewidth. The results indicate that the superior performance of a well-defined frequency comb can be applied to nanoplasmonic spectroscopy, quantum metrology and subwavelength photonic circuits.
Project description:Electrochemical (EC) reactions are crucial in many applications, yet most EC analytical tools lack the sensitivity to access molecular-level information of reactants and products. By combining sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance at EC interfaces, we demonstrate the feasibility of measuring in situ and real-time vibrational spectra during EC reactions at noble metal electrodes. Application of the technique to EC reactions at a gold surface helps in understanding how the surface in a basic solution is oxidized and reduced during a cyclic voltammetry cycle. Study of desorption of a thiol self-assembled monolayer from gold through EC reactions in a basic solution shows that the desorbed thiols by reductive reaction remain as an ordered layer near the gold interface, but do diffuse away if they are desorbed oxidatively from gold.
Project description:Plasmon-waveguide resonance (PWR) sensors are particularly useful for investigation of biomolecular interactions with or within lipid bilayer membranes. Many studies demonstrated their ability to provide unique qualitative information, but the evaluation of their sensitivity as compared to other surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors has not been broadly investigated. We report here a comprehensive sensitivity comparison of SPR and PWR biosensors for the p-polarized light component. The sensitivity of five different biosensor designs to changes in refractive index, thickness and mass are determined and discussed. Although numerical simulations show an increase of the electric field intensity by 30-35 % and the penetration depth by four times in PWR, the waveguide-based method is 0.5 to 8 fold less sensitive than conventional SPR in all considered analytical parameters. The experimental results also suggest that the increase in the penetration depth in PWR is made at the expense of the surface sensitivity. The physical and structural reasons for PWR sensor limitations are discussed and a general viewpoint for designing more efficient SPR sensors based on dielectric slab waveguides is provided.
Project description:Fragment-based drug discovery is a validated approach for the discovery of drug candidates. However, the weak affinity of fragment compounds requires highly sensitive biophysical techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or X-ray crystallography, to identify hits. Thus the advantages of screening small fragment libraries are partly offset by the high cost of biophysical analyses. Here we present a method for biosensor-based fragment screening using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In order to reduce the false positive detection rate we present a novel method of data analysis that incorporates multiple referencing with ligand efficiency. By implementing all necessary steps for assay design, data analysis and interpretation, SPR-based fragment screening has potential to eliminate all nonspecific (false positive) binders. Therefore, given the advantages of low protein consumption, rapid assay development and kinetic and thermodynamic validation of hits, SPR can be considered as a primary screening technology for fragment-based drug discovery.
Project description:Optical techniques for visualization and quantification of chemical and biological analytes are always highly desirable. Here we show a hyperspectral surface plasmon resonance microscopy (HSPRM) system that uses a hyperspectral microscope to analyze the selected area of SPR image produced by a prism-based spectral SPR sensor. The HSPRM system enables monochromatic and polychromatic SPR imaging and single-pixel spectral SPR sensing, as well as two-dimensional quantification of thin films with the measured resonance-wavelength images. We performed pixel-by-pixel calibration of the incident angle to remove pixel-to-pixel differences in SPR sensitivity, and demonstrated the HSPRM's capabilities by using it to quantify monolayer graphene thickness distribution, inhomogeneous protein adsorption and single-cell adhesion. The HSPRM system has a wide spectral range from 400 nm to 1000 nm, an optional field of view from 0.884 mm2 to 0.003 mm2 and a high lateral resolution of 1.2 μm, demonstrating an innovative breakthrough in SPR sensor technology.
Project description:Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become an important optical biosensing technology in the areas of biochemistry, biology, and medical sciences because of its real-time, label-free, and noninvasive nature. The high cost of commercial devices and consumables has prevented SPR from being introduced in the undergraduate laboratory. Here we present an affordable homemade SPR device with all of its components accessible to visualization. This design allows ease of integration with electrochemistry and makes the device suitable for education. We describe a laboratory experiment in which students examine the relationship between the SPR angle and the solution refractive index at the interface and perform a coupled SPR-electrochemistry experiment. Students also study the antibody-antigen binding activity. Most of the experimental work was done as a project by a grade 12 high-school student under proper supervision. We believe that the SPR device and the SPR laboratory will enhance undergraduate chemical education by introducing students to this important modern instrumentation and will help students to learn and understand the molecular interactions occurring at interfaces.
Project description:BackgroundA critical challenge in cell biology is quantifying the interactions of cells with their extracellular matrix (ECM) environment and the active remodeling by cells of their ECM. Fluorescence microscopy is a commonly employed technique for examining cell-matrix interactions. A label-free imaging method would provide an alternative that would eliminate the requirement of transfected cells and modified biological molecules, and if collected nondestructively, would allow long term observation and analysis of live cells.ResultsUsing surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI), the deposition of protein by vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC) cultured on fibronectin was quantified as a function of cell density and distance from the cell periphery. We observed that as much as 120 ng/cm2 of protein was deposited by cells in 24 h.ConclusionSPRI is a real-time, low-light-level, label-free imaging technique that allows the simultaneous observation and quantification of protein layers and cellular features. This technique is compatible with live cells such that it is possible to monitor cellular modifications to the extracellular matrix in real-time.
Project description:Plasmonic biosensing has emerged as the most sensitive label-free technique to detect various molecular species in solutions and has already proved crucial in drug discovery, food safety and studies of bio-reactions. This technique relies on surface plasmon resonances in ~50 nm metallic films and the possibility to functionalize the surface of the metal in order to achieve selectivity. At the same time, most metals corrode in bio-solutions, which reduces the quality factor and darkness of plasmonic resonances and thus the sensitivity. Furthermore, functionalization itself might have a detrimental effect on the quality of the surface, also reducing sensitivity. Here we demonstrate that the use of graphene and other layered materials for passivation and functionalization broadens the range of metals which can be used for plasmonic biosensing and increases the sensitivity by 3-4 orders of magnitude, as it guarantees stability of a metal in liquid and preserves the plasmonic resonances under biofunctionalization. We use this approach to detect low molecular weight HT-2 toxins (crucial for food safety), achieving phase sensitivity~0.5 fg/mL, three orders of magnitude higher than previously reported. This proves that layered materials provide a new platform for surface plasmon resonance biosensing, paving the way for compact biosensors for point of care testing.
Project description:Surface plasmon resonance sensors have found wide applications in optical sensing field due to their excellent sensitivity to the slight refractive index change of surrounding medium. However, the intrinsically high optical losses in metals make it nontrivial to obtain narrow resonance spectra, which greatly limits the performance of surface plasmon resonance sensors. This review first introduces the influence factors of plasmon linewidths of metallic nanostructures. Then, various approaches to achieve narrow resonance linewidths are summarized, including the fabrication of nanostructured surface plasmon resonance sensors supporting surface lattice resonance/plasmonic Fano resonance or coupling with a photonic cavity, the preparation of surface plasmon resonance sensors with ultra-narrow resonators, as well as strategies such as platform-induced modification, alternating different dielectric layers, and the coupling with whispering-gallery-modes. Lastly, the applications and some existing challenges of surface plasmon resonance sensors are discussed. This review aims to provide guidance for the further development of nanostructured surface plasmon resonance sensors.
Project description:Surface plasmons, free-electron collective oscillations in metallic nanostructures, provide abundant routes to manipulate light-electron interactions that can localize light energy and alter electromagnetic field distributions at subwavelength scales. The research field of plasmonics thus integrates nano-photonics with electronics. In contrast, electronics is also entering a new era of spintronics, where spin currents play a central role in driving devices. However, plasmonics and spin-current physics have so far been developed independently. Here we report the generation of spin currents by surface plasmon resonance. Using Au nanoparticles embedded in Pt/BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12) bilayer films, we show that, when the Au nanoparticles fulfill the surface-plasmon-resonance conditions, spin currents are generated across the Pt/BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12) interface. This spin-current generation cannot be explained by conventional heating effects, requiring us to introduce nonequilibrium magnons excited by surface-plasmon-induced evanescent electromagnetic fields in BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12). This plasmonic spin pumping integrates surface plasmons with spin-current physics, opening the door to plasmonic spintronics.
Project description:G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a class of drug targets of primary importance. However, receptor assays are based on measurement of either ligand displacement or downstream functional responses, rather than direct observation of ligand binding. Issues of allosteric modulation, probe dependence, and functional selectivity create challenges in selecting suitable assays formats. Therefore, a method that directly measures GPCR-ligand interactions, independent of binding site, probe, and signaling pathway would be a useful primary and orthogonal screening method. We have developed a GPCR biosensor assay protocol that offers the opportunity for high-throughput label-free screening that directly measures GPCR-ligand interactions. The biosensor-based direct screening method identifies the interaction of both orthosteric and allosteric ligands with solubilized, native GPCRs, in a label-free and cell-free environment, thus overcoming the limitations of indirect and displacement assay methods. We exemplify the method by the discovery of novel ligands for the chemokine receptor, CCR5, that are ligand efficient fragments.