Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) region, often referred to as the molecular fingerprint region, encompasses the distinctive absorption spectra characteristic of numerous important molecules. However, the intrinsically small molecular absorption cross-sections, combined with the size mismatch between nanosc...

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Main Authors: Yulong Hu, Zexing Zheng, Huishan Ma, Shuguang Zhu, Yiming Yu, Jie Hong, Weiwei Tang, Jiale He, Libo Zhang, Changlong Liu, Guanhai Li, Xiaoshuang Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/4/284
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author Yulong Hu
Zexing Zheng
Huishan Ma
Shuguang Zhu
Yiming Yu
Jie Hong
Weiwei Tang
Jiale He
Libo Zhang
Changlong Liu
Guanhai Li
Xiaoshuang Chen
author_facet Yulong Hu
Zexing Zheng
Huishan Ma
Shuguang Zhu
Yiming Yu
Jie Hong
Weiwei Tang
Jiale He
Libo Zhang
Changlong Liu
Guanhai Li
Xiaoshuang Chen
author_sort Yulong Hu
collection DOAJ
description The mid-infrared (mid-IR) region, often referred to as the molecular fingerprint region, encompasses the distinctive absorption spectra characteristic of numerous important molecules. However, the intrinsically small molecular absorption cross-sections, combined with the size mismatch between nanoscale molecules and microscale mid-IR wavelengths, result in inherently weak light-molecule interactions. In this work, we propose a broadband, tunable platform based on plasmonic-enhanced infrared absorption for label-free retrieval of molecular fingerprints. By leveraging the strong near-field enhancement of the plasmonic structure, the platform significantly amplifies light-molecule interactions, enabling precise reconstruction of the fingerprint absorption spectra of target molecules. In addition, the proposed structure exhibits exceptional molecular detection capabilities across the wavelength range of 5–10 μm, with remarkable potential for distinguishing molecular mixture components. The results pave the way for the applications in chemical identification, biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and other interdisciplinary fields, which require miniaturized and high-precision sensing.
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id doaj-art-81b086dc6e8d4abcb864fdbff0153595
institution OA Journals
issn 2079-4991
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Nanomaterials
spelling doaj-art-81b086dc6e8d4abcb864fdbff01535952025-08-20T02:03:28ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-02-0115428410.3390/nano15040284Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint RetrievalYulong Hu0Zexing Zheng1Huishan Ma2Shuguang Zhu3Yiming Yu4Jie Hong5Weiwei Tang6Jiale He7Libo Zhang8Changlong Liu9Guanhai Li10Xiaoshuang Chen11College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinaThe mid-infrared (mid-IR) region, often referred to as the molecular fingerprint region, encompasses the distinctive absorption spectra characteristic of numerous important molecules. However, the intrinsically small molecular absorption cross-sections, combined with the size mismatch between nanoscale molecules and microscale mid-IR wavelengths, result in inherently weak light-molecule interactions. In this work, we propose a broadband, tunable platform based on plasmonic-enhanced infrared absorption for label-free retrieval of molecular fingerprints. By leveraging the strong near-field enhancement of the plasmonic structure, the platform significantly amplifies light-molecule interactions, enabling precise reconstruction of the fingerprint absorption spectra of target molecules. In addition, the proposed structure exhibits exceptional molecular detection capabilities across the wavelength range of 5–10 μm, with remarkable potential for distinguishing molecular mixture components. The results pave the way for the applications in chemical identification, biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and other interdisciplinary fields, which require miniaturized and high-precision sensing.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/4/284mid-infraredmolecular fingerprinttunable plasmonic metasurfacesurface-enhanced infrared absorption
spellingShingle Yulong Hu
Zexing Zheng
Huishan Ma
Shuguang Zhu
Yiming Yu
Jie Hong
Weiwei Tang
Jiale He
Libo Zhang
Changlong Liu
Guanhai Li
Xiaoshuang Chen
Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
Nanomaterials
mid-infrared
molecular fingerprint
tunable plasmonic metasurface
surface-enhanced infrared absorption
title Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
title_full Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
title_fullStr Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
title_full_unstemmed Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
title_short Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval
title_sort plasmonic enhanced infrared absorption platform for broadband and multiple molecular fingerprint retrieval
topic mid-infrared
molecular fingerprint
tunable plasmonic metasurface
surface-enhanced infrared absorption
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/4/284
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