Spectral shifts and modifications in metal-enhanced fluorescence, phosphorescence and alpha-fluorescence
AssigneeUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County
InventorChris D. Geddes
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Abstract
The present invention provides for excitable molecules positioned near metallic structures, wherein the metallic structures have a particles size from about 1 nm to 1000 nm and wherein the excitable molecules have fluorescence, phosphorescence or alpha-fluorescence emissions that are altered due to positioning near the metal structures. The emission spectra are distorted on either the blue or red edges in a range from 1 to 10 nm thereby changing the color of emissions. Further, the width of the emission spectrum is modified either by narrowing or broadening depending on the material of the metallic structures and type of excitable molecule.
Claims10
A method of spectrally modifying emission spectra of an excitable molecule, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate comprising a film of metallic copper or zinc nanoparticles positioned on a surface of the substrate, wherein the film has a thickness of about 3 nm to about 5 nm;
- providing at least one excitable molecule near-field close to the film of metallic nanoparticles, wherein the excitable molecule is a fluorescent, chemiluminescent, bioluminescent, or luminescent molecule;
- providing a source of electromagnetic energy, using the electromagnetic energy to excite the excitable molecule;
- and
- detecting emissions from the excitable molecule and/or the film of metallic nanoparticles, wherein an emission band in the presence of the film of metallic nanoparticles is red-shifted, relative to a control lacking the film of metallic nanoparticles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.