Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensitivity Research Articles

Transmission electron microscopy reveals clusters of Au–Ag nanoparticles formed in TiO2 thin film, with enhanced plasmonic response

This work reports on the influence of nanoparticle (NP) size distribution and the chemical nature of gold (Au) and/or silver (Ag) NPs in the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) responses. The NPs were produced embedded in a titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film, deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering technique followed by in-vacuum thermal treatment at 400 °C. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) gave quantitative key information in terms of both the size and distribution of the noble metal NPs. The average Feret diameter was 17 nm (σ = 8) and 55 nm (σ = 28) for Au/TiO2 and Ag/TiO2 films, respectively, while the Au–Ag/TiO2 film showed intermediate values, with an average size of 22 nm (σ = 9). HAAD-STEM, complemented by EDX chemical mapping, revealed an unusual formation of cluster structures containing local distributions of bimetallic (alloyed) Au–Ag NPs. The synergetic characteristics and properties of such bimetallic Au–Ag NPs resulted in an outstanding LSPR sensitivity compared to the monometallic counterparts. Furthermore, the analysis of the average nearest neighbor distances (about one order of magnitude lower than counterparts) suggests the existence of plasmonic hotspots relevant to be explored in sensing and surface-enhanced spectroscopies.

AuNPs/GO Coated U-Shape Polished SMF Based Localized SPR Sensor for Musta’mal Water Identification

Potential of hybrid gold nanoparticles/graphene oxide (AuNPs/GO) coated single mode fiber (SMF) sensor by exploiting localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect for Musta’mal water identification was studied. Three structure shapes of fiber optics such as straight-shape, loop-shape and u-shape had been prepared. Three layers of AuNPs with 50 nm in diameter were drop-casted onto the partially unclad polished single mode fiber (SMF) to observe the maximum sensitivity of LSPR. To enhance the LSPR effect, one layer of GO was deposited on top of the AuNPs layer. Two optical light sources with least attenuation (1310 nm and 1550 nm) were employed to study the optical power output as the sensor immersed in different type of water samples. The u-shape SMF portrayed the maximum output power about 24.2 dBm at 1550 nm wavelength. According to the analysis, the deployment of 1550 nm laser wavelength resulted in better sensitivity with 23.2% improvement compared to 1310 nm wavelength. Apparently, the LSPR phenomenon created by AuNPs/GO able to enhance the plasmonic signal up to 51.9% than the uncoated SMF. The thinnest diameter of SMF’s cladding, d=0.1195 mm with U-shape structure exhibited the highest power different of 1.10 dBm, in which suggested the best sensing performance. In conclusion, the optimization of AuNPs/GO u-shape polished SMF resulted in the maximum sensitivity with value of S=72.7 dBm/RIU for Musta'mal water identification.

Bio-electron transfer modulated localized surface plasmon resonance biosensing with charge density monitoring

The analysis of reactant at different regions of the bioreaction interface is significant for the study on the influence of interface condition on bioreaction. In this study, we proposed a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensing platform for local charge density monitoring and corresponding analytes detection based on the bio-electron transfer modulation of plasmon resonance. Core-shell nanocomposites of polyaniline coated gold nanoparticles were synthesized for the enhanced sensitivity of plasmon resonance to applied electric potential. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) substrates modified with the nanocomposites were used as LSPR chip for optical and electrochemical measurements simultaneously. The charge sensitivity of LSPR was verified with external electric potential modulation theoretically and experimentally. Through layer-by-layer self-assembly immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) on the LSPR chips, the charge transfer monitoring during the bioreaction of glucose catalysis was further demonstrated based on the bio-electron transfer modulation of LSPR. By equivalent circuit method, the charge density of the LSPR chip were detected with optical extinction peak shifts, and the limit of detection was about 0.51 μC/cm2. This bio-electron transfer modulated LSPR provides a promising approach for the detection of spatial charge densities and the evaluation of bioreaction substances at different region of single chip.

Enhanced detection sensitivity through enzyme-induced precipitate accumulation in LSPR-active nano-valleys.

Biomolecule detection based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon has advantages in label-free detection, good sensitivity, and measurement simplicity and reproducibility. However, in order to ultimately be used for actual diagnosis, the ability to detect trace amounts of biomarkers is necessary, which requires the development of signal enhancement strategies that enable ultrasensitive detection. In this paper, we provide a straightforward and efficient route to boost LSPR sensitivity based on multiple sample washings. We found that repeated washing and drying cycles lead to a shift in the LSPR peak in a concentration-dependent manner, where this process drives the accumulation of a precipitate, formed by an enzyme reaction with target specificity, in the sample's LSPR active plasmonic nano-valley structure. Results show that the washing and drying process leads to a signal enhancement of more 200 times compared to a sensor with only enzyme-based amplification. To maximize this effect, optimization of the plasmonic nanostructure was also carried out to finally achieve atto-molar detection of miRNA with a distinguishable LSPR peak shift.

Gas Sensors Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances: Synthesis of Oxide Films with Embedded Metal Nanoparticles, Theory and Simulation, and Sensitivity Enhancement Strategies

This work presents a comprehensive review on gas sensors based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon, including the theory of LSPR, the synthesis of nanoparticle-embedded oxide thin films, and strategies to enhance the sensitivity of these optical sensors, supported by simulations of the electromagnetic properties. The LSPR phenomenon is known to be responsible for the unique colour effects observed in the ancient Roman Lycurgus Cup and at the windows of the medieval cathedrals. In both cases, the optical effects result from the interaction of the visible light (scattering and absorption) with the conduction band electrons of noble metal nanoparticles (gold, silver, and gold–silver alloys). These nanoparticles are dispersed in a dielectric matrix with a relatively high refractive index in order to push the resonance to the visible spectral range. At the same time, they have to be located at the surface to make LSPR sensitive to changes in the local dielectric environment, the property that is very attractive for sensing applications. Hence, an overview of gas sensors is presented, including electronic-nose systems, followed by a description of the surface plasmons that arise in noble metal thin films and nanoparticles. Afterwards, metal oxides are explored as robust and sensitive materials to host nanoparticles, followed by preparation methods of nanocomposite plasmonic thin films with sustainable techniques. Finally, several optical properties simulation methods are described, and the optical LSPR sensitivity of gold nanoparticles with different shapes, sensing volumes, and surroundings is calculated using the discrete dipole approximation method.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of plasmonic properties of Ag nanosphere and SiO2/Ag core-shell nanostructure

Due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of plasmonic nanostructures, the electric field is enhanced in their vicinity which is exploited for sensing. Here, the LSPR properties of an Ag nanosphere and a SiO2/Ag core-sell are theoretically studied and their characteristics are experimentally investigated. The theoretical study of the nanostructures showed one intensive plasmon mode whereas only SiO2/Ag core-shell showed the tunable plasmonic properties so that it can be tuned to the desired spectral region by changing core-shell design and the refractive index of the surrounding medium. Optimized SiO2/Ag core-shell showed significant LSPR sensitivity up to 523.6 nm/RIU. SiO2/Ag core-shells were prepared using modified Stöber method. By controlling the reaction conditions, nanoparticles with the size of ~50 nm were fabricated without using a coupling agent, based on the mixture of silver ions in solution including water, ethanol and ammonia, for the direct synthesis of SiO2/Ag core-shells with no aggregation.

Enhancement of ultrathin localized surface plasmon resonance sensitivity using sequential temperature treatment for liquids sensing

An experimental method is demonstrated to enhance the refractive index sensitivity (RIS) of gold (Au) ultrathin films used in a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor as an optical transducer using sequential temperature treatment in fabrication processes. The Au ultrathin films were fabricated by the vacuum thermal evaporation technique to deposit Au nanoparticles on a glass substrate, followed by annealing. The ultrathin layer of Au had a thickness of 1.13 nm. Furthermore, two different annealing times were employed in two different treatment processes with annealing temperature of 400 °C. The first treatment involved longer annealing times (8 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 36 h) and a normal cooling process (cooling rate: 0.02 °C/s); the second treatment involved shorter annealing times (1 min, 5 min, 10 min, and 30 min) and a quenching process (cooling rate: 25 °C/s). The Au ultrathin films were spectroscopically evaluated based on their morphology and optical properties in the transmissive mode integrated in a self-assembled optofluidic. The highest RIS of the Au ultrathin films was obtained at 240.45 nm/RIU for the short annealing time-quenching treatment and 90.85 nm/RIU for the long annealing time-normal cooling treatment. This method demonstrates the great potential toward fabrication of Au ultrathin films based LSPR for liquids sensing.

Design of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) Biosensor for Immunodiagnostic of E. coli O157:H7 Using Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated to the Chicken Antibody

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most important pathogens in food-borne diseases and is the main cause of the pseudo pandemic development of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Also E. coli O157:H7 is the most common serotype of Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli. Traditional methods for detecting E. coli O157:H7 are expensive, time-consuming, and less sensitive. A method with high sensitivity and high-resolution optical detection is utilizes the LSPR property of spherical gold nanoparticles (GNP). In this work, we constructed a novel nano-bio probe to detect E. coli O157:H7 by synthesizing citrate gold nanoparticle conjugated (non-covalent bond) with specific chicken anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody (IgY) by changing the pH of the nanoparticles’ environment. UV-visible and DLS methods were used to confirm the bonding between the antibody and nanoparticles and the LSPR sensitivity of the nano-bio probe was evaluated by ELISA method. We could optically detect this bacterium in less than 2 h by measuring the LSPR band λ max shifts of GNPs. The sensitivity of this novel biosensor was determined by about 10 CFU/ml, using the LSPR property of spherical gold nanoparticles. So that, the LSPR λ max red shifted from 530 to 543 nm in presence of 10 CFU bacterium. In conclusion, this nano biosensor can be used to detect this important pathogen among the clinical specimens.

Control of growth solution on the dimensions of gold nanorods accounted for LSPR sensitivity toward liquid ammonia sensing

In the present study, the effect of dimensions of gold nanorods on its sensing property to detect liquid ammonia was reported. Gold nanorods with two different aspect ratios (GNR1 and GNR2) derived from different lengths and diameters were synthesized using seed-mediated growth method, and the aspect ratio was controlled by changing the silver ion concentration in growth solution. The morphological and size measurement was performed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and the average value of aspect ratio (AR) was found to be 3.0 and 3.2 for GNR1 and GNR2, respectively. The characteristics transverse and longitudinal mode of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have been clearly depicted in UV–vis absorption spectrum of both GNR1 and GNR2. The red shift in longitudinal mode of LSPR from 718 to 732 nm has been observed for GNR with change in aspect ratio from 3.0 to 3.2, respectively. These samples of GNR were tested for liquid ammonia sensing with concentration ranging from 100 to 500 ppm. A clear cut blue shift in longitudinal mode of LSPR of prepared gold nanorod was observed. However, the GNR2 was found to be more sensitive toward liquid ammonia sensing. The origin of such blue shifting and sensitivity of longitudinal mode of LSPR of gold nanorod was explained on the basis of orientation dependence and Dipolar Exciton Coupling Model of coupled plasmon in assemblies of anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles. With the help of this model, blue shifting in longitudinal plasmon band was correlated with the enhanced formation of H-aggregation induced by dipolar coupling of GNR clusters followed by hydrogen bonding after successive addition of ammonia solution.

Tunable plasmonic properties of elongated bimetallic alloys nanoparticles towards deep UV-NIR absorbance and sensing

Combining magnetic nanoparticles with noble metallic nanoparticles to construct multifunctional alloy nanostructures has become a powerful tool for imaging sensing, medicine, biology, and cancer treatment and photothermal therapy. This work reports a study regarding the plasmonic properties of Co-Ag and Co-Au bimetallic alloys nanostructures on the electromagnetic spectrum. In this paper, the optical properties of magnetic and plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) with different shapes, sizes, compositions, and surrounding medium are investigated by using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) technique. The absorption and scattering localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak positions are found between 211–964 nm wavelengths ranges and can be tuned in the deep UV-NIR region of the EM spectrum in accordance with the desired application. Further, we calculate the refractive index sensitivity (S) and figure of merit (FOM) of LSPR based nanosensors. Although, LSPR based sensors undergo low FOM as compared to conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors due to high losses from the radiative damping of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) waves. However, LSPR based sensors have potential applications in gas and bio-sensors technology viz. medical and environmental monitoring applications. In this work, the main feature of LSPR peak is dependent on nanoparticle shapes, sizes, compositions, and ambient medium and have ordered as prolate < sphere < cube < rectangular shape NPs. These results suggest that the nanostructures of Co-Ag and Co-Au alloys associated with LSPR tunability and sensitivity can be used in biomedical and sensing environment technology such as detection of chemical and catalytic events.

Dewetting Metal Nanofilms-Effect of Substrate on Refractive Index Sensitivity of Nanoplasmonic Gold.

The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensitivity of metal nanostructures is strongly dependent on the interaction between the supporting substrate and the metal nanostructure, which may cause a change in the local refractive index of the metal nanostructure. Among various techniques used for the development of LSPR chip preparation, solid-state dewetting of nanofilms offers fast and cost effective methods to fabricate large areas of nanostructures on a given substrate. Most of the previous studies have focused on the effect of the size, shape, and inter-particle distance of the metal nanostructures on the LSPR sensitivity. In this work, we reveal that the silicon-based supporting substrate influences the LSPR associated refractive index sensitivity of gold (Au) nanostructures designed for sensing applications. Specifically, we develop Au nanostructures on four different silicon-based ceramic substrates (Si, SiO2, Si3N4, SiC) by thermal dewetting process and demonstrate that the dielectric properties of these ceramic substrates play a key role in the LSPR-based refractive index (RI) sensitivity of the Au nanostructures. Among these Si-supported Au plasmonic refractive index (RI) sensors, the Au nanostructures on the SiC substrates display the highest average RI sensitivity of 247.80 nm/RIU, for hemispherical Au nanostructures of similar shapes and sizes. Apart from the significance of this work towards RI sensing applications, our results can be advantageous for a wide range of applications where sensitive plasmonic substrates need to be incorporated in silicon based optoelectronic devices.

Polydopamine-Assisted Fabrication of Stable Silver Nanoparticles on Optical Fiber for Enhanced Plasmonic Sensing

We present a facile and effective method for fabrication of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) optical fiber sensor assisted by two polydopamine (PDA) layers with enhanced plasmonic sensing performance. The first PDA layer was self-polymerized onto the bare optical fiber to provide the catechol groups for the reduction from Ag+ to Ago through chelating and redox activity. As the reduction of Ag+ proceeds, Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were grown in-situ on the PDA layer with uniform distribution. The second PDA layer was applied to prevent Ag NPs from oxidating and achieve an improvement of LSPR signal. The PDA/Ag/PDA-based optical fiber sensor has an enhanced LSPR sensitivity of 961 nm/RIU and excellent oxidation resistance. The stable PDA/Ag/PDA-based LSPR sensor with high optical performance is very promising for future application in optical sensing field.

Theoretical investigation of size, shape, and aspect ratio effect on the LSPR sensitivity of hollow-gold nanoshells.

The change in refractive index around plasmonic nanoparticles upon binding to biomolecules is routinely used in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based biosensors and in biosensing platforms. In this study, the plasmon sensitivity of hollow gold (Au) nanoshells is studied using theoretical modeling where the influence of shape, size, shell thickness, and aspect ratio is addressed. Different shapes of hollow Au nanoshells are studied that include sphere, disk, triangular prism, rod, ellipsoid, and rectangular block. Multilayered Mie theory and discrete dipole approximation were used to determine the LSPR peak position and LSPR sensitivity as a function of size, shell thickness, shape, and aspect ratio. The change in LSPR peak wavelength per unit refractive index is defined as the sensitivity, and interesting results were obtained from the analysis. The rectangular block and rod-shaped Au nanoshells have shown maximum LSPR sensitivity when compared to other shaped Au nanoshells. In addition, increased sensitivity was observed for higher aspect ratio as well as for smaller shell thicknesses. The results are rationalized based on the inner and outer surface plasmonic coupling.

Cation Exchange Mediated Synthesis and Tuning of Bimodal Plasmon in Alloyed Ternary Cu3BiS3–xSex Nanorods

We report a robust methodology for synthesizing monodisperse alloyed Bi2S3–xSex nanorods (NRs) to tune optical properties with the variation of Se concentration. The intercalation of Cu(I) into the presynthetic Bi2S3–xSex NRs converted to ternary Cu3BiS3–xSex NRs via cation exchange process. The transformation was monitored through the formation of core/shell Bi2S3–xSex/Cu3BiS3–xSex nanorod heterostructures. Shape anisotropy results in near-infrared bimodal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in Cu3BiS3–xSex nanorod over a broad range from 600 to 3500 nm with increase of Se:S ratio. The LSPR sensitivity, defined as the change in the LSPR peak wavelength per unit change in the refractive index (RI) of the medium, was estimated to be 250–350 nm/RI unit, much higher than other copper chalcogenides like Cu2S/Cu2Se. A fast photodetector was fabricated by Cu3BiS3–xSex NRs with high photocurrent gain value (∼125) with Se alloying. The intrinsic Cu vacancies and the effective mass of charge carriers play i...

High sensitive detection of copper II ions using D-penicillamine-coated gold nanorods based on localized surface plasmon resonance

In this paper, we describe the development of a nanoplasmonic biosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect that enables a sensitive and selective recognition of copper II ions. First, we fabricated the nanoplasmonics as LSPR substrates using gold nanorods (GNR) and the nano-adsorption method. The LSPR sensitivity of the nanoplasmonics was evaluated using various solvents with different refractive indexes. Subsequently, D-penicillamine (DPA)—a chelating agent of copper II ions—was conjugated to the surface of the GNR. The limit of detection (LOD) for the DPA-conjugated nanoplasmonics was 100 pM. Furthermore, selectivity tests were conducted using various divalent cations, and sensitivity tests were conducted on the nanoplasmonics under blood-like environments. Finally, the developed nanoplasmonic biosensor based on GNR shows great potential for the effective recognition of copper II ions, even in human blood conditions.

Plasma-Assisted Large-Scale Nanoassembly of Metal-Insulator Bioplasmonic Mushrooms.

Large-scale plasmonic substrates consisting of metal-insulator nanostructures coated with a biorecognition layer can be exploited for enhanced label-free sensing by utilizing the principle of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Most often, the uniformity and thickness of the biorecognition layer determine the sensitivity of plasmonic resonances as the inherent LSPR sensitivity of nanomaterials is limited to 10-20 nm from the surface. However, because of time-consuming nanofabrication processes, there is limited work on both the development of large-scale plasmonic materials and the subsequent surface functionalizing with biorecognition layers. In this work, by exploiting properties of reactive ions in an SF6 plasma environment, we are able to develop a nanoplasmonic substrate containing ∼106/cm2 mushroom-like structures on a large-sized silicon dioxide substrate (i.e., 2.5 cm by 7.5 cm). We further investigate the underlying mechanism of the nanoassembly of gold on glass inside the plasma environment, which can be expanded to a variety of metal-insulator systems. By incorporating a novel microcontact printing technique, we deposit a highly uniform biorecognition layer of proteins on the nanoplasmonic substrate. The bioplasmonic assays performed on these substrates achieve a limit of detection of 10-17 g/mL (∼66 zM) for biomolecules such as antibodies (∼150 kDa). Our simple nanofabrication procedure opens new opportunities in fabricating versatile bioplasmonic materials for a wide range of biomedical and sensing applications.

LSPR sensor array based on molecularly imprinted sol-gels for pattern recognition of volatile organic acids

Volatile organic acids are important compounds contained in human body odor. The detection and recognition of volatile organic acids in human body odor are significant in many areas. The present study explored a possibility to use localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and molecularly imprinted sol-gels (MISGs) as the sensitive layer to recognize typical organic acid odorants, propanoic acid (PA), hexanoic acid (HA), heptanoic acid (HPA) and octanoic acid (OA), from human body. The LSPR layer was prepared by vacuum sputtering of AuNPs on a glass substrate and consequently thermal annealing. The sensitive layer was fabricated by spin-coating molecularly imprinted titanate sol-gel on the AuNPs layer. A homemade optical device was developed to detect the change of transmittance, which was caused by the index changes of organic acid vapors where selecting absorbed by the MISG layers. It was found that compared with MISG coated samples, samples coated with non-imprinted sol gel (NISG) shown no responses to any acid vapors. For the MISG coated sensors, the LSPR sensitivity was affected by the spin coating speed. In addition, a sensor array based on MISGs with different templates (HA, HPA and OA) was constructed to detect the organic acids in single and their binary mixtures. The sensor response was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). A 100% classification rate was achieved by leave-one-out cross-validation technique for LDA model. This work demonstrated that the MISGs coated LSPR sensor array has a great potential in organic acid odor recognition of human body odor.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) Detection of Diphtheria Toxoid Using Gold Nanoparticle-Monoclonal Antibody Conjugates

Detection of diphtheria toxin (DT) which is produced by Corynebacterium diphtheria, a zoonotic pathogen and a leading cause of diphtheria, is the critical step in the clinical laboratory. Traditional methods for DT detection are time consuming with low sensitivity. Herein, a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) nanobioprobe has been developed based on specific immunological interactions between gold nanoparticles (GNPs) conjugated with monoclonal antibody and diphtheria toxoid in order for the rapid detection of DT. For this, plasmonic GNPs were conjugated to monoclonal antibodies covalently. The covalent conjugation has been confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electrochemical techniques. Then, structural alterations of the conjugated antibody were monitored by circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy methods. After that, the sensitivity of the nanobioprobe has been investigated via measuring the LSPR band λmax shifts of GNPs and LSPR sensitivity of nanobioprobe was compared with the ELISA method. Results suggested that this assay is highly selective and sensitive with a lower detection limit of about 10 ng/mL. The LSPR biosensor reduced the DT detection time from 2 or 3 days to less than 1 h compared with traditional methods. In conclusion, the investigation presents a rapid, sensitive, and selective method for the diagnosis of DT in clinical specimens.

Graphene Oxide-Supported Ag Nanoplates as LSPR Tunable and Reproducible Substrates for SERS Applications with Optimized Sensitivity.

Nanoparticles and nanohybrids with well-defined structures, along with tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties and optimized sensitivity, are crucial and highly desired for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. In this article, we report on a very promising and flexible SERS platforms with a tunable LSPR response and sensitivity based on Ag nanoplates and graphene oxide (GO). The SERS detection sensitivity can be easily optimized and significantly improved by fine-tuning the LSPR band of the Ag nanoplate/GO substrates (to enhance the SERS response) during sample preparation. We applied the as-prepared SERS platform for sensitive SERS detection of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 4-aminothiophenol and found that the SERS signal varied markedly (by ∼10-15-fold) with the fine-tuning of the LSPR band. The SERS enhancement factor of the Ag nanoplate/GO complexes was more than 10(4) times larger than that obtained using spherical Ag nanoparticles. The as-prepared Ag nanoplate/GO platforms, because of their excellent stability and tunable LSPR properties, will find promising practical SERS applications.

Fano resonances in complex plasmonic super-nanoclusters: The effect of environmental modifications on the LSPR sensitivity

In this study, gold nanodisk clusters in heptamer orientations as clusters were used to design a super-heptamer consisting of one central and six peripheral heptamers. We examined the position and movement of the plasmon and Fano resonances by sketching the spectral response of the superstructure for various nanodisk dimensions. The quality of the interference between the superradiant and subradiant plasmon resonance modes of the nanodisk clusters was found to depend strongly on the structural configuration and the refractive index of the environmental medium. We replaced the central heptamer with a nanodisk and probed the position of the Fano resonance by geometrically altering the nanodisk structure. Finally, the effect of the dielectric environment on the plasmon response of both of the studied structures was examined numerically and theoretically. The localized surface plasmon resonance sensitivity of the finite plasmonic structures to the presence of liquid substances was investigated and shown by plotting the linear figure of merit. The finite-difference time-domain method was used as a numerical tool to investigate the plasmon response of the structure.