Open AccessMicrofluidics integration of aperiodic plasmonic arrays for spatial-spectral optical detection
Author(s) -
Sylvanus Y. Lee,
Gary F. Walsh,
Luca Dal Negro
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.004945
Subject(s) - microfluidics , materials science , electron beam lithography , aperiodic graph , refractive index , plasmon , optics , microheater , polydimethylsiloxane , soft lithography , lithography , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , resist , physics , fabrication , medicine , mathematics , alternative medicine , layer (electronics) , combinatorics , pathology
We demonstrate successful integration of aperiodic arrays of metal nanoparticles with microfluidics technology for optical sensing using the spectral-colorimetric responses of nanostructured arrays to refractive index variations. Different aperiodic arrays of gold (Au) nanoparticles with varying interparticle separations and Fourier spectral properties are fabricated using Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) and integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics structures by soft-lithographic micro-imprint techniques. The spectral shifts of scattering spectra and the distinctive modifications of structural color patterns induced by refractive index variations were simultaneously measured inside microfluidic flow cells by dark-field spectroscopy and image correlation analysis in the visible spectral range. The integration of engineered aperiodic arrays of Au nanoparticles with microfluidics devices provides a novel sensing platform with multiplexed spatial-spectral responses for opto-fluidics applications and lab-on-a-chip optical biosensing.