Decimating Spatial Frequency Components in Periodically Modulated Nanoscale Surface Structures for Sensing of Ambient Refractive Index Changes

Abstract

In our previous study, we developed an array of unique porous structures (an array of barnacle-like porous structures) to apply to biosensing chips. The porous structure was formed by an internal swelling phenomenon of a polystyrene colloidal particle monolayer, which was surrounded by a poly(vinyl alcohol) layer, for the duration of the monolayer’s immersion in a toluene bath. Barnacle-like porous structures were formed when polystyrene particles that had rapidly swelled broke the outer layer around the top of the particles. However, after the surface was coated with a thin Ag layer, the porous structure showed a relatively broad extinction spectrum that was undesirable for sensing chips based on both surface plasmon extinction and grating coupling. In this paper, we propose an approach to obtain relatively sharp extinction spectra based on the decimation of the spatial frequencies of the porous structures. This study also investigates formation properties in more detail to control the structural features of the resultant porous structures. A relatively sharp peak in the extinction spectrum was ultimately obtained.