https://doi.org/10.15407/jopt.2018.53.038

Optoelectron. Semicond. Tech. 53, 38-59 (2018)

V.I. Chegel, A.M. Lopatynskyi

MOLECULAR PLASMONICS – A NOVEL RESEARCH FIELD IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND SENSING. APPLICATIONS AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND (REVIEW)

This review systematizes literature data and results of own researches in the novel scientific field – molecular plasmonics. The spectrum of applications has been summarized for molecular plasmonics that investigates interactions between molecules and surface plasmons of metallic nanostructures, provides a broad range of possibilities for detection, visualization, control, delivery and heating the biological molecules, and offers a number of powerful tools for biological and medical researches. The possibilities and recent achievements in the direction of creation of surface plasmon resonance sensors have been described. The applications of molecular plasmonics proposed in the literature for the fields of materials science, nanoscopy, photothermal therapy and nano-manipulation have been analyzed. In particular, because of the characteristic nanoscale confinement and amplification of electromagnetic fields, metallic nanoparticles can be used to measure biological events, for fluorescence regulation, and investigations at the single molecule level. An important application of molecular plasmonics methods is the study of various properties of nanomaterials and nanostructured systems, specifically, nanostructured materials with unique optical properties, the socalled metamaterials, especially those with the reversible variation of physical characteristics and the dynamic change of optical parameters. Additionally, plasmon-enhanced thermal effects are fundamental for phototherapy and lightactivated drug delivery systems that can provide tools for disease control. The theoretical basis of surface plasmon resonance methods with description of mathematical models for calculation of optical responses of plasmon-molecular nanosystems based on thin metal films and nanostructures is presented. The comparative analysis of approaches for the theoretical calculation of multilayered systems based on the light scattering matrix and Green's function in the representation of the electromagnetic field by Lippmann-Schwinger, as well as the apparatus of the Mie scattering theory and the finite-difference time-domain method for metallic nanostructures is given.

Keywords: surface plasmon-polariton resonance, localized surface plasmon resonance, molecule, sensor, Green’s function, Mie theory, finite-difference time-domain method.