Abstract
Background The term “plasmonic” describes the relationship between electromagnetic fields and metallic nanostructures. Plasmon-based sensors have been used innovatively to accomplish different biomedical tasks, including detection of cancer. Plasmonic sensors also have been used in biochip applications and biosensors and have the potential to be implemented as implantable point-of-care devices. Many devices and methods discussed in the literature are based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized SPR (LSPR). However, the mathematical background can be overwhelming for researchers at times. Objective This review article discusses the theory of SPR, simplifying the underlying physics and bypassing many equations of SPR and LSPR. Moreover, we introduce and discuss the hybrid whispering gallery mode (WGM) sensing theory and its applications. Methods A literature search in ScienceDirect was performed using keywords such as “surface plasmon resonance,” “localized plasmon resonance,” and “whispering gallery mode/plasmonic.” The search results retrieved many articles, among which we selected only those that presented a simple explanation of the SPR phenomena with prominent biomedical examples. Results SPR, LSPR, tilted fiber Bragg grating, and hybrid WGM phenomena were explained and examples on biosensing applications were provided. Conclusions This minireview presents an overview of biosensor applications in the field of biomedicine and is intended for researchers interested in starting to work in this field. The review presents the fundamental notions of plasmonic sensors and hybrid WGM sensors, thereby allowing one to get familiar with the terminology and underlying complex formulations of linear and nonlinear optics.
Highlights
The term “plasmonic” describes the relationship between electromagnetic fields and metallic nanostructures [1]
surface plasmon resonance (SPR), localized SPR (LSPR), tilted fiber Bragg grating, and hybrid whispering gallery mode (WGM) phenomena were explained and examples on biosensing applications were provided. This minireview presents an overview of biosensor applications in the field of biomedicine and is intended for researchers interested in starting to work in this field
For example [20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33], describe the physical principle of SPR, and provide the definitions and discuss exemplary applications to illustrate how changing the refractive index can be used for sensing through the plasmonic effect and how the light is generally coupled to the biosensor
Summary
The term “plasmonic” describes the relationship between electromagnetic fields and metallic nanostructures [1]. SPR methods have attracted great interest in biomedical applications This technique entails observing small changes in the refractive index of the combination of dielectric materials and metal [7]. These structures are typically made of noble metals such as gold and silver [8,9] The cytotoxicity of these metals based on their concentrations are under investigation and studies have shown potential biomedical applications for these metals at certain concentrations [10,11]. Plasmon-based sensing methods are indispensable tools for sensing in the field of biomedicine These devices have the potential to be implemented as implantable point-of-care devices [17,18,19]. The mathematical background can be overwhelming for researchers at times
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