Résumé
Metal nanoparticles display very interesting optical properties, related to localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR), which give rise to well-defined absorption and scattering peaks in the visible and near-IR spectral range. Such resonances can be tuned through the size and shape of the nanoparticles, but are also extremely sensitive towards dielectric changes in the near proximity of the particles surface and to the specific organization of the nanoparticles within assemblies. Therefore, metal nanoparticles have been proposed as ideal candidates for biosensing applications.
In this communication, we present several examples of novel strategies to employ nanostructured materials comprising gold nanoparticles, as substrates for ultrasensitive detection of biorelevant molecules such as bacterial quorum sensing markers, which require the design of novel techniques for trapping them close to the metal nanostructures or to avoid signal contamination by larger biomolecules. Different modes of plasmonic biodetection will also be introduced, such as novel applications of plasmon chirality.
