Molecular probes based on microstructured fibers and surface enhanced Raman scattering

Abstract

In recent years, there has been significant interest in using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and optical fibers for chemical, biological, and environmental detections. The combination of SERS and optical fibers offers the advantages of the molecular specificity of Raman scattering, huge enhancement factor of SERS, and flexibility of optical fibers. In this paper, we report our work on the development of fiber biosensors based on SERS emphasizing on recent progress in the fabrication of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) SERS sensors for highly sensitive molecular detection. To increase the sensitivity, one needs to increase either the excitation laser power or the amount of analyte molecules in the active region of the sensor. The high excitation intensity is not desirable for biosensors due to the low damage threshold of live tissues or bio-molecules. In our investigation of various fiber configurations, hollow core (HC) PCFs show the greatest advantages over all other types of fiber probes because of the large contact area. The hollow core nature allows the analytes and SERS substrate to fill the inner surface of the air channels. In addition, by sealing the cladding holes of the HCPCF, only the central hole will be open and filled with liquid samples. As both the light and the sample are confined in the fiber core, the sensitivity is significantly improved. The newly developed liquid core PCF sensor was tested in the detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G), human insulin, and tryptophan with good sensitivity due to the enhanced interaction volume.