A cost-effective, stable and ultrasensitive localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) partially embedded in transparent substrate is presented. Partially embedded AuNPs were prepared by thermal annealing of gold thin films deposited on glass at a temperature close to the glass transition temperature of the substrate. Annealed samples were optically characterized by using spectroscopic ellipsometry and compare with theoretical modeling to understand the optical responses from the samples. By combining the partially-embedded AuNPs substrate with a microfluidic flow cell and dove prism in an ellipsometry setup, an ultrasensitive change in the LSPR signal can be detected. The refractive index sensitivity obtained from the phase measurement is up to 1938 degrees/RIU which is several times higher than that of synthesized colloidal gold nanoparticles. The sample is further used to investigate the interactions between primary and secondary antibodies. The bio-molecular detection limit of the LSPR signal is down to 20 pM. Our proposed sensor is label free, non-destructive, with high sensitivity, low cost, and easy to fabricate. These features make it feasible for commercialization in biomedical applications.
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