Nanofabricated plasmonic nano-bio hybrid structures in biomedical detection

Our study of biological systems increasingly depends on our ability to dynamically and quantitatively measure the molecular processes with high sensitivity, speed, flexibility, multi-plexity, throughput, and reproducibility, usually within the context of a complex biological and chemical mixture of tiny amount. To address these major challenges, plasmon-resonant nanostructure biomolecule hybrids (nano-bio hybrids), so-called plasmonic nanobiosensors, are being developed and viewed as one key breakthrough area for real-time and parallelized biomedical analysis with high sensitivity and selectivity. Hereby, we present a solution of integrated plasmonic system by synergizing three core techniques: (i) nanoplasmonics that manipulates electromagnetic radiation (light) at dielectric-metal interfaces by tuning properties of nanomaterials, (ii) nanofabrication and controlled synthesis of nanomaterials containing noble metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Pt, and Cu), and (iii) bioconjugates techniques that modify surface of nanomaterials with various bioprobes (e.g., antibodies, enzymes, aptamers, and molecular imprint polymers). Applications of these plasmonic nano-bio hybrid structures are also discussed.