Effects of graphene layer addition on sensitivity of surface plasmon resonance sensor for immunoglobulin M detection

Abstract

A novel technique is proposed for detecting immunoglobulin M (IgM) using differential Mueller matrix polarimetry and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor enhanced through the addition of multiple (1–10) thin layers of graphene on the sensing surface. Simulations are first performed to optimize the structure of the SPR device. The feasibility of the proposed sensor is then demonstrated by measuring the principal fast axis angle (α) of linear birefringence (LB) of human IgM serum aqueous solution samples with known concentrations in the range of 0–250 ng/ml. The results shows that α increases linearly over the considered concentration range. However, α reduces with an increasing number of graphene layers. The finest resolution of 7.8 ng/ml is obtained from the sensor incorporating three graphene layers.