Publications [#55745] of Anne A Lazarides

Papers Published

1. Miller, M.M. and Lazarides, A.A., Controlling the sensing volume of metal nanosphere molecular sensors, Nanoengineered Assemblies and Advanced Micro-Nanosystems (Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings Vol.820) (2004), pp. 407 - 13, San Francisco, CA, USA
   (last updated on 2007/04/06)

   Abstract:
   Noble metal nanoparticles and nanoshells support localized surface plasmon resonances that are sensitive to the dielectric properties of the environment, in particular, to the refractive index of the material close to the surface of the particle. This sensitivity can be exploited in molecular detection systems that use nanoparticles functionalized with receptors to (a) bind target molecules and (b) optically transduce the resulting change in the dielectric environment. Using calculated UV-vis spectra of Au nanoparticles and Au/Au₂S core/shell with dielectric overlayers, the study showed that the environmental dielectric sensitivity of the particle dipole plasmon band is confined to dielectric variations in the environment close to the particle surface. The extent of the sensing volume of both single component particles and dielectric core/metal shell particles were characterized and it is concluded that the thickness of the sensitive region is controlled primarily by the size and structure of the nanoparticle or shell. It was also determined that while the primary factor controlling the sensing volumes of particle based dielectric sensors is particle size, resonant wavelength also plays a role as well as the refractive index contrast of the layer being detected. The tailorability of nanoparticle sensing thickness demonstrated herein should play a significant role in optimization of these systems for specific applications

   Keywords:
   dielectric properties;electric sensing devices;gold;gold compounds;molecular biophysics;nanoparticles;nanotechnology;particle size;refractive index;surface plasmon resonance;ultraviolet spectra;visible spectra;