Interacting Metal–Insulator–Metal Resonator by Nanoporous Silver and Silk Protein Nanomembranes and Its Water-Sensing Application

Planar and lithography-free metal-insulator-metal (MIM) resonators based on the Fabry-Pérot etalon are attractive for biochemical sensing applications because of their acceptable optical performance and cost-effectiveness. However, injecting analytes into the insulating layer where the optical field is localized (high light-matter interaction) is difficult. Here, planar and lithography-free MIM resonators interacting with their environment are reported. In the MIM, molecules of a liquid can infiltrate the inherent nanopores in the deposited silver nanomembrane and be absorbed into the silk protein hydrogel membrane. The silk layer is swollen when water molecules are absorbed, inducing a large shift in the resonance wavelength. Thus, in this study, the proposed MIM resonator was applied as a highly sensitive water sensor, and a water content as low as 0.008% in organic solvents could be determined by reading the shift in the transmission peak. This limit can be lowered further by using a high-resolution spectrometer and a thicker silk layer. In addition, the area of interaction can be artificially selected by applying an elastomer stamp and a patterned photoresist window.