3D-quantification of biomolecular covers using surface plasmon-polariton resonance experiment

The concentration of surface molecules N_s and components of molecular susceptibility χ_jl(ω) can both be determined from surface plasmon-polariton resonance (SPPR) experiments, instead of effective layer thickness and index of refraction, which are usually determined. The theoretical consideration of a molecular layer as monolayer of separated 3D-oscillators provides a new perspective for investigating molecules during SPPR experiment. It is shown that SPPR response and the form of the reflective curve depend on the form of a biomolecule and its orientation relative to the surface of the metal-carrier of plasmon oscillations. The experimental data for immunological reaction for the calculation of surface molecular concentration and mass of biomolecular covering are presented.     

Enhanced surface plasmon resonance detection of DNA hybridization based on ZnO nanorod arrays

We demonstrated an enhanced surface plasmon resonance detection incorporating ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) built on a thin gold film. ZnO NRAs were fabricated by wet chemical growth method and used for the detection of DNA hybridization. Experimental results exhibited that ZnO NRAs provided a notable sensitivity improvement by more than 3 times, which is attributed to an increase in the surface reaction area. The measured sensitivity enhancement matched well with the numerical analyses based on the effective medium theory. Our approach is intended to show the feasibility and extend the applicability of the ZnO-based SPR biosensor to diverse biomolecular binding events.     

Utilization of albumin-based sensor chips for the detection of metal content and characterization of metal–protein interaction by surface plasmon resonance

We report here the use of albumin-based biosensor chips for the determination of metal content and characterization of metal–protein interaction by surface plasmon resonance. Bovine serum albumin was immobilized onto a carboxymethylated dextran matrix and used for metal detection. The temperature for the analysis was defined and the highest interaction was observed at 25 °C. The albumin sensor chip binds cadmium, zinc or nickel in a concentration-dependent manner, but not magnesium, manganese and calcium. The optimal buffer condition used for the analysis contains 0.01 M HEPES, pH 7.4, 1 mM NaCl and 0.005% Tween-20. Using this condition, a linear calibration curve within the range of 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻⁴ M can be established for the metals. However, a dramatic increase in binding capacity was observed when metal concentration was higher than 10⁻⁴ M and reached a plateau at 10⁻² M. The detection limit for Cd can reach as low as 1 ppb. When measuring a solution containing two species of metal ions with the albumin chip, an additive effect was observed for Ni and Zn. However, 20–30% reduction in resonance response was found upon mixing Cd with Zn or Ni. These observations are consistent with the binding characteristics of albumin. The feasibility of measuring serum metal content by the albumin chip was examined. A linear calibration curve can be established if the samples are boiled and passed through a gel filtration column. The binding affinity of metal with albumin can also be achieved by using the sensor chip. The binding affinity follows the order of Ni > Zn > Cd. These results indicate that the albumin-based sensor chip is useful not only in the quantification of metal content, but also in the characterization of the biochemical properties of albumin.     

Diffractive optical coupling element for surface plasmon resonance sensors

Design, technological features, and performance of polymeric diffractive optical coupling elements (DOCEs), developed for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors are reported. The concept is based on input and output coupling of collimated and perpendicularly incident light beams to exchangeable SPR sensor chips. In the SPR sensor chips, one DOCE couples the input light beam to a (bio-)chemical sensor surface and another DOCE images the output light beam onto a detector array. The manufacturing technique is based on an injection moulding process similarly to the manufacturing process of compact discs allowing precision manufacturing and reproduction of the grating topography of the DOCEs. The DOCE-based SPR sensor chip is specifically suitable for miniaturisation and large scale production, while maintaining high optical quality and performance.     

Surface plasmon resonance in chalcogenide glass-based optical system

The surface plasmon resonance phenomenon has been studied in a chalcogenide glass-based optical system. IR transmission properties of these materials combined to their high refractive indices lead to advantageous properties for sensing. In this study, numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the potentialities of sulfide glass from the GeGaSbS system as a coupling prism material. Then, an angular modulation SPR biosensor has been set up in the Kretschmann–Raether arrangement. Experimental data are consistent with numerical calculation and the detection limit of the sensor is 3 × 10⁻⁵ RIU. These preliminary results are promising. Further investigations have to be carried out to confirm the great potentialities of those materials for SPR-based biosensor.     

Use of a low refractive index prism in surface plasmon resonance biosensing

A way to improve the angular sensitivity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor by tuning the resonance position to a higher incident angle region using a lower refractive index glass prism is described in this paper. A novel effective 3-layer (E3L) model is described to transform a multiple layer biosensor configuration in context of SPR condition. The E3L model supports the use of a low refractive index prism for biosensing. The performance of the sensor in immunosensing is checked for two glass prisms of different refractive index materials. The experimental results showed an enhancement in the amount of resonance angle shift of the immunosensor for the lower refractive index glass prism.     

Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on a single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber

A novel wavelength modulation-based fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is reported which utilizes both polarization separation and broad band radiation depolarization in polarization-maintaining fibers to enhance sensor stability. Theoretical analysis of the sensing structure with ideally separated polarizations based on the mode of expansion and propagation method is presented. The effect of polarization cross-coupling was also analyzed in the approximation of an equivalent bulk optic structure. A laboratory prototype of the fiber-optic SPR sensor was characterized in terms of sensitivity and resolution. Experimental results indicate that this fiber-optic SPR sensor is able to resolve refractive index changes as low as 4×10⁻⁶ under moderate fiber deformations.     

A single chip multi-channel surface plasmon resonance imaging system

A single chip, multi-channel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system has been developed. The equipment has no moving parts and uses a single sensor chip on which multiple channels can be incorporated. A light emitting diode is used as a photon source while a CCD camera forms the detector. The optical configuration has been designed to achieve a uniform illumination of the sample over a fixed area with a range of incident angles. A calibration test using sucrose solutions shows that the sensitivity of the equipment is 4.3×10⁻⁴ refractive index units per pixel line-pair. The use of the system for simultaneous interrogation of different polyelectrolyte thin films, formed by the electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition method, is demonstrated. A reversible pH-dependent response for these organic layers is also reported.     

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors for the rapid, sensitive detection of the cellular response to osmotic stress

Cells regulate their volume in response to changes in osmolarity of both, their extracellular and intracellular environments. As stability of the cell volume is a compelling exigency for cellular integrity, techniques for a sensitive, time-resolved volume measurement of adherently grown mammalian cells attract considerable interest, especially in the field of cell physiology and biology. In this study we apply a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based biosensor for the comparative analysis of the volume responses of two renal epithelial cell types to non-isotonic challenges. The on-line, label-free and non-invasive biosensor format shows distinct similarities and differences in the reaction kinetics of the two cell types. Furthermore regulatory volume responses to the osmotic stimuli as well as their inhibition by Gd³⁺ ions can be observed with a high time-resolution. Limit-of-detection measurements indicate the high sensitivity of the sensor capable of detecting cellular volume responses of adherently grown mammalian cells to osmotic stimuli well below a bioanalytical relevant value of 5 mOsm/kg.     

Fast surface plasmon resonance imaging sensor using Radon transform

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging technique is proposed in which a diverging laser beam at given frequency was used to illuminate the entire sensor surface in Kretschmann-Raether configuration. A pattern of dark intensity line on bright background is observed corresponding to the SPR dip at an angular range depending on the refractive index of the adjacent analyte and monitored by a two-dimensional CCD detector. A novel Radon transform based detection algorithm for the SPR line pattern is proposed, which is non sensitive to the laser speckle noise and improves the accuracy.     

Novel, high-quality surface plasmon resonance microscopy

A surface plasmon resonance microscope capable of high-quality speckle-free imaging has been designed that uses a laser as a source. An inexpensive acoustic transducer is used to reduce speckle and other image artifacts arising from the use of illumination from an inexpensive laser pointer. The microscope is described and operation of the system demonstrated.     

Manufacture of robust surface plasmon resonance fiber optic based dip-probes

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy has been conducted on both prism and fiber optic (FO) based sensors for several years. This technique measures the refractive index (RI) of a solution or layer adsorbed to a thin (50 nm) Au layer on the sensor substrate. To date a succinct set of protocols have not been published regarding the optimization of fiber-based SPR dip-probe sensors. Such sensors would allow application of SPR to a wider variety of applications. This paper focuses on consideration of the choice of fiber, isolation of the mirror from the sensing area, and orientation of the probes in the metal layer sputter deposition chamber in the manufacture of SPR dip-probes for reproducibility and robustness. Optimization of the process yields sensors with a batch to batch reproducibility as low as 0.5 nm in the location of the SPR spectral minima. Further study of RI measurements by the same probe over 2 months show these SPR dip-probes have a long shelf-life. A selection of probes was exposed to various solutions to monitor their drift. The data shows the probes’ response indicated a lowering of the RI measured over a period of 3 or 7 days depending on the probe type. Evidence of surface porosity and damage upon exposure to hydrothermal water seems to indicate these sensors are prone to chemical attack. Further research is needed to characterize this attack and allow creation of more robust sensors.     

Surface plasmon resonance detection of small molecule using split aptamer fragments

It was difficult to detect small molecules directly using conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors since the changes of refractive index, which was resulted by binding small molecules, were usually small. In this paper, split aptamer fragments were used for the construction of SPR biosensor to determine small molecule such as adenosine with high sensitivity. An aptamer for adenosine was designed to be two flexible ssDNA pieces, one was tethered on Au film and the other was modified on Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). In the presence of adenosine, two ssDNA pieces reassembled into the intact aptamer structure and the AuNPs-labeled adenosine-aptamer complex was formed on the Au film. Then, the resonance wavelength shift was enhanced obviously, due to the electronic coupling between the localized plasmon of AuNPs and the surface plasmon wave associated with Au film. The results confirmed that this biosensor could detect adenosine with high sensitivity and selectivity. The limitation of detection (LOD) of this SPR biosensor was ca. 1.5 pM, which was an approximately ca. 2-3 order of magnitude lower than that of those SPR biosensors which utilized competitive methods.     

Label-free sensitive optical detection of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in an aqueous solution based on surface plasmon resonance measurements

A label-free, ultrasensitive method for the optical detection of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) is described. The detection mechanism for PCB is based on PCB-induced conformational changes of immobilized Cytochrome c (Cyt c) on an Au thin film altering the local dielectric function of the supported Cyt c, which can be detectable by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. Results showed that the confirmations of Cyt c changed in a very sensitive way depend on PCB concentrations as confirmed by circular dichroism (CD) measurements and atomic force microscope (AFM) observations. Based on the results, we investigated the PCB-sensitive detection performance of the self-assembling Cyt c monolayer surface by SPR. On exposure to PCB, the reflectance R at the SPR angle of the supported Cyt c showed a sensitive and systematic increase with increasing PCB concentrations. The limit of detection was as low as 0.1 ppb and the responses completed within 10 min.     

Absorption-based fiber optic surface plasmon resonance sensor: a theoretical evaluation

In this paper, an optical absorption based fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor has been studied theoretically. The theoretical treatment is based on Kretschmann’s SPR theory and the Lorentz model that expresses a damped harmonic oscillator is included in the treatment for optical absorption in the sensing layer. The optical source considered is an un-polarized collimated beam. The light is coupled to the fiber using a microscope objective that focuses the beam at the center of the input face of the fiber. The effects of the parameters related to the sensing region, the light source and the optical fiber on the sensitivity and the operating range of the SPR sensor have been studied with the help of numerical calculations and computer simulations. It has been found that the excitation frequency in absorption-based fiber optic SPR sensor is an important parameter. The sensitivity is better for the lower off-resonance excitation frequency. The sensitivity and the operating range of the sensor are better for large value of the core diameter. The optimization of numerical aperture of the fiber, film thickness and the length of the sensing region is required to achieve the maximum sensitivity. Further, the increase in the extinction coefficient of the sample increases the sensitivity of the sensor while the decrease in the width of its absorption spectrum increases the sensitivity. The sensitivity and the operating range of the sensor are better for small values of the refractive index of the absorbing sample.     

Comparison of surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance for human IgE quantification

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) have been known independently as surface sensitive analytical devices capable of label-free and in situ bioassays. In this study a SPR device and a 10 MHz QCM sensor are employed for the study of human IgE and anti-human IgE-binding reactions upon immobilizing the latter on the gold electrodes. The SPR and QCM response curves to the antibody immobilization and antigen binding are similar in shape but different in time scale, reflecting different resonation principles. Through optimization of the anti-human IgE coating, both the SPR and QCM sensors could detect IgE in a linear range from 5 to 300 IU/ml. Although the intrinsic sensitivity of the SPR device is five times of the 10 MHz QCM, the IgE detection sensitivity of the two methods is, however, different only in a factor of 2. The acceptable QCM sensitivity for the IgE detection is attributed to the fact that QCM measures the sum of molar mass of a protein layer and the entrapped water. Although both the devices use open, stand still liquid cell, and all the measurements are performed at room temperature, the SPR reproducibility and reliability are better than QCM, as the QCM frequency is more sensitive to temperature fluctuations, press changes and mechanical disturbances.     

Highly accurate and sensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor based on channel photonic crystal waveguides

A highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on channel photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) is proposed. The PCW is based on widely used lithographic and nano-fabrication compatible materials like TiO₂ and SiO₂. Gold has been used as a SPR active metal. By rigorously optimizing the different waveguide parameters, we have shown that there is significant transfer of modal power around phase-matching or resonance wavelength which has been utilized to design a compact and highly sensitive sensor for lab on chip. The ultra narrow width (∼765 pm for an interaction length of 10 mm) of surface plasmon resonance curve and sensitivity as high as 7500 nm-RIU⁻¹ will open a new window for bio-chemical sensing applications.     

Full-field surface plasmon resonance sensor for high resolution refractive index measurement using common-path heterodyne interferometer

This study presents a full-field surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor induced by attenuated total reflection (ATR)-couple for liquid refractive index measurement. The system adopts a common-path heterodyne interferometer to measure the phase difference between P- and S-wave after passing through the SPR sensor. In order to realize the full-field measurement, it adopts a three-frame integrating-bucket method. The experimental results show great consistency profile between single point and full-field liquid refractive index measurement from 1.330 to 1.340 RIU. It shows that the best sensitivity and resolution of a single pixel in charge couple device (CCD) for liquid refractive measurement are 3.3 × 10⁴ (deg/RIU) and 3.53 × 10⁻⁶ (RIU), respectively. As compared with traditional single-point method, the proposed method with a regular CCD has no degradation. Therefore, the system has many applications in chemistry and biology.