Abstract
Abstract The ability of metallic nanostructures to confine light at the sub-wavelength scale enables new perspectives and opportunities in the field of nanotechnology. Making use of this unique advantage, nano-optical trapping techniques have been developed to tackle new challenges in a wide range of areas from biology to quantum optics. In this work, starting from basic theories, we present a review of research progress in near-field optical manipulation techniques based on metallic nanostructures, with an emphasis on some of the most promising advances in molecular technology, such as the precise control of single biomolecules. We also provide an overview of possible future research directions of nanomanipulation techniques.
Highlights
Optical trapping – the ability to manipulate small particles using light – was first recognized by the awarding of a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 to Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William D
The fluorescence enhancement factor was measured to be up to 140, indicating that the molecules were detected at the 10−9 mol/l level [118]. These results strongly suggest that this plasmonic OT (POT) implementation will provide a novel analytical method to detect a variety of organic molecules
The authors noted that their POT design has the potential to be used in lab-on-a-chip devices for efficient particle trapping with high tunability of the Fano resonance wavelength [96]
Summary
Optical trapping – the ability to manipulate small particles using light – was first recognized by the awarding of a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 to Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William D. Photonic crystals are near-field nanostructures with a periodic pattern in dielectric properties These structures can be integrated with microfluidic systems to create a lab-on-a-chip platform. A major advantage of plasmonic nanostructures is that the electromagnetic field enhancement is achieved over a broad range of incident laser wavelengths [34, 35] by modifying the geometry of the structure. Applications of POT in life sciences, especially for the manipulation of biomolecules such as proteins or DNA, are discussed. We provide both a critical view of the research field by summarizing the main conclusions extracted from the state of the art and our perspective of future POT developments and potential applications
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