Plasmonic Sensing with 3D Printed Optics

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has undergone an exponential growth in popularity due to its revolutionary and near limitless manufacturing capabilities. Recent trends have seen this technology utilized across a variety of scientific disciplines, including the measurement sciences, but precise fabrication of optical components for high-performance biosensing has not yet been demonstrated. We report here 3D printing of high-quality, custom prisms by stereolithography that enable Kretschmann-configured plasmonic sensing of bacterial toxins. Simple benchtop polishing procedures render a smooth surface that supports propagation of surface plasmon polaritons with a deposited gold layer, which exhibit high bulk refractive index sensitivities and are capable of discriminating trace levels of cholera toxin on a supported lipid membrane interface. Further evidence of the flexibility of this manufacturing technique is demonstrated with printed prisms of varied geometries and in situ monitoring of nanoparticle growth by total internal reflection spectroscopy. This work represents the first example of 3D printed light-guiding sensing platforms and demonstrates the versatility and broad perspective of 3D printing in optical detection.

Plasmonic molecular assays: Recent advances and applications for mobile health

“…With the recent advance of 3D printing technology, it however provides a new route for cheap fabrication of functional plasmonic substrates with better control over the product quality. Due to the rapid improvement of 3D printing resolution, plasmonic substrates can be potentially prepared by either direct printing of nanoparticle-loaded ink or creating a high-resolution 3D-printed template for subsequent metal deposition [234,234]. Nevertheless, 3D printing-based fabrication of plasmonic substrates is still at its infancy, and more research effects should be devoted to this area to develop a lower-cost, more uniform, and scalable fabrication solution to highly demanded plasmonic materials and substrates.…”

3D Printed Biosensor Arrays for Medical Diagnostics

“…with different geometry than (A) used to monitor nanoparticle growth. Reproduced with permission from [22]. Copyright (2017) American Chemical Society.…”

“…printed a prism that can be used for plasmonic sensing applications [22]. They used simple benchtop polishing to decrease surface defects and improve the light guiding performance of the prism ( Figure 11A).…”

“…3D printing also can make tailored supporting devices that improve performance of existing diagnostics like spectrophotometers [18] and PCR devices [14,19] and to support smartphone integration for remote sensing [20,21]. The ability to print materials with special properties allows for the creation of new equipment that can dramatically reduce the cost of diagnostic devices like SPR [22]. All these applications used 3D printing for cost-effective multifunctional production to integrate several functions in one device [23].…”

3D-Printed Biosensor Arrays for Medical Diagnostics

“…3D printing can also make tailored supporting devices that improve performance of existing diagnostics like spectrophotometers [ 18 ] and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) devices [ 14 , 19 ] and is used to assist with smartphone integration for remote sensing [ 20 , 21 ]. The ability to print materials with special properties allows for the creation of new equipment that can dramatically reduce the cost of diagnostic devices like Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) [ 22 ]. All these applications use 3D printing for cost-effective multifunctional production to integrate several functions in one device [ 23 ].…”