Plasmonic Resonant Nanoantennas Induce Changes in the Shape and the Intensity of Infrared Spectra of Phospholipids

Surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopic studies (SEIRAS) as a technique to study biological molecules in extremely low concentrations is greatly evolving. In order to use the technique for identification of the structure and interactions of such biological molecules, it is necessary to identify the effects of the plasmonic electric-field enhancement on the spectral signature. In this study the spectral properties of 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3 phosphothioethanol (DPPTE) phospholipid immobilized on gold nanoantennas, specifically designed to enhance the vibrational fingerprints of lipid molecules were studied. An AFM study demonstrates an organization of the DPPTE phospholipid in bilayers on the nanoantenna structure. The spectral data were compared to SEIRAS active gold surfaces based on nanoparticles, plain gold and plain substrate (Si) for different temperatures. The shape of the infrared signals, the peak positions and their relative intensities were found to be sensitive to the type of surface and the presence of an enhancement. The strongest shifts in position and intensity were seen for the nanoantennas, and a smaller effect was seen for the DPPTE immobilized on gold nanoparticles. This information is crucial for interpretation of data obtained for biological molecules measured on such structures, for future application in nanodevices for biologically or medically relevant samples.

Study on non-local effects in dimers of circular and elliptical cross-sections

The nonlocal effects of dimers consisted of two cylinders are studied, whose cross section is elliptical. Importantly, the results with dimers whose cross section is circular are compared. For comparison, the curvature of the ellipse is set the same with the circle, and four different geometries are considered. The electric field enhancement at the gap center and the absorption spectrum of the dimers are calculated. For the second geometry, either the electric field enhancement at the gap center or the absorption spectrum is approximately calculated using the first geometry, the frequencies corresponding to the peaks are totally different. Similarly, for the fourth geometry, either the electric field enhancement at the gap center or the absorption spectrum is approximately calculated using the third geometry, the disciplines of the peak values change as radius of curvature increases are totally different.

Bound states in the continuum-induced enhancement of evanescent field confinement

Here, the enhancement of electromagnetic field confinement in an all-dielectric metasurface is demonstrated. The enhanced confinement is achieved when the polarization singularity, corresponding to accidental bound states in the continuum, moves to the domain of evanescent fields (under the light line). Such a hybridization of the bound states and evanescent waves results in the 70-fold increase of the electric field enhancement on the top of the metasurface and boosting of the electric field localization.

Study on surface enhanced Raman scattering of Au and Au@Al2O3 spherical dimers based on 3D finite element method

In this paper, the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) characteristics of Au and Au@Al2O3 nanoparticle dimers were calculated and analyzed by using finite element method (3D-FEM). Firstly, the electric field enhancement factors of Au nanoparticles at the dimer gap were optimized from three aspects: the incident angle of the incident light, the radius of nanoparticle and the distance of the dimer. Then, aluminum oxide is wrapped on the Au dimer. What is different from the previous simulation is that Al2O3 shell and Au core are regarded as a whole and the total radius of Au@Al2O3 dimer is controlled to remain unchanged. By comparing the distance of Au nucleus between Au and Au@Al2O3 dimer, it is found that the electric field enhancement factor of Au@Al2O3 dimer is much greater than that of Au dimer with the increase of Al2O3 thickness. The peak of electric field of Au@Al2O3 dimer moves towards the middle of the resonance peak of the two materials, and it is more concentrated than that of the Au dimer. The maximum electric field enhancement factor 583 is reached at the shell thickness of 1 nm. Our results provide a theoretical reference for the design of SERS substrate and the extension of the research scope.