SGER: Fractal Surface Enhanced Chemical & Biological Sensors

这是探索性研究的小额奖助金(SGER)。这是对“下一代化学和生物传感器和传感系统”的回应尊敬的同事来信NSF-02-112。在这个项目中，我们将制作新型的纳米结构的分形体和分形体微腔传感器。这些传感器有望在光学检测微量分子方面提供无与伦比的灵敏度，包括少量的生物和化学试剂。这种传感器是基于金属-介质复合材料的，它可以支持各种等离子体激元模式，从而大大增强了光学响应。分形材料中的等离子体激元模会经历局域化，使电磁能量积累和集中在纳米尺度的“热点”区域，导致局域场的强烈增强。共振区是热点，可以充当具有不同共振频率的纳米天线。将等离子体纳米腔中的局域光激发产生的能量集中效应与基于介质腔的微谐振器相结合，可以产生创纪录的光学现象增强。这项研究可能会导致新的光学传感器具有无与伦比的灵敏度。这项拟议的研究由与普渡传感科学和技术中心的协同活动支持，将把传感器科学和技术的尖端研究与一流的教育和培训结合起来。这是探索性研究的小额奖助金(SGER)。这是对“下一代化学和生物传感器和传感系统”的回应尊敬的同事来信NSF-02-112。在这个项目中，我们将制作新型的纳米结构的分形体和分形体微腔传感器。这些传感器有望在光学检测微量分子方面提供无与伦比的灵敏度，包括少量的生物和化学试剂。这种传感器是基于金属-介质复合材料的，它可以支持各种等离子体激元模式，从而大大增强了光学响应。等离子体激元是金属和金属-介电复合材料中电子的集体振荡，是表面增强光谱的主要原因。在表面增强光谱中，等离子体纳米结构导致光谱灵敏度提高许多个数量级。分形材料中的等离子体激元模会经历局域化，使电磁能量积累和集中在纳米尺度的“热点”区域，导致局域场的强烈增强。将等离子体分形模中局域光激发产生的能量集中效应与基于介质腔的微谐振腔相结合，可以产生创纪录的光学现象增强。这项研究最终可能导致开发出具有无与伦比的灵敏度的新型光学传感器。这项研究在与普渡传感科学和技术中心的协同活动的支持下，将把传感器科学和技术的尖端研究与一流的教育和培训结合起来。

This is a Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) award. It is in response to the "Next Generation Chemical and Biological Sensors and Sensing Systems" Dear Colleague letter, NSF-02-112. In this project, novel nanostructured fractal and fractal-microcavity sensors will be fabricated. These sensors are expected to provide unsurpassed sensitivity in optical detection of molecules in minute quantities, including small amounts of biological and chemical agents. The sensors are based on fractal metal-dielectric composites, which can support various plasmon modes resulting in giant enhancement of optical responses. Plasmon modes in fractal materials experience localization so that the electromagnetic energy is accumulated and concentrated in nanometer-scale areas, "hot spots," leading to the strongly enhanced local fields. The resonating areas, hot spots, can act as nano-antennas with different resonance frequencies. Combining the energy-concentrating effects from localized optical excitations in plasmonic nano-resonators with micro-resonators based on dielectric cavities, can result in record-high enhancement of optical phenomena. This research could lead to new optical sensors with unsurpassed sensitivity. The proposed research, supported by synergistic activities with Center for Sensing Science and Technology at Purdue will integrate cutting-edge research in sensor science and technology with top-flight education and training. This is a Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) award. It is in response to the "Next Generation Chemical and Biological Sensors and Sensing Systems" Dear Colleague letter, NSF-02-112. In this project, novel nanostructured fractal and fractal-microcavity sensors will be fabricated. These sensors are expected to provide unsurpassed sensitivity in optical detection of molecules in minute quantities, including small amounts of biological and chemical agents. The sensors are based on fractal metal-dielectric composites, which can support various plasmon modes resulting in giant enhancement of optical responses. Plasmons represent collective oscillations of electrons in metals and metal-dielectric composites and they are known to be a major reason for surface-enhanced spectroscopy, in which plasmonic nanostructures lead to many orders of magnitude increases in the sensitivities of optical spectroscopies. Plasmon modes in fractal materials experience localization so that the electromagnetic energy is accumulated and concentrated in nanometer-scale areas, "hot spots," leading to the strongly enhanced local fields. Combining the energy-concentrating effects from localized optical excitations in plasmonic fractal modes with micro-resonators based on dielectric cavities can result in record-high enhancement of optical phenomena. This research can eventually lead to developing new optical sensors with unsurpassed sensitivity. The research, supported by synergistic activities with the Center for Sensing Science and Technology at Purdue will integrate cutting-edge research in sensor science and technology with top-flight education and training.