High performance sensing of nitrogen oxides by surface plasmon resonance excited fluorescence of dye-doped deoxyribonucleic acid thin films

Abstract

Highly sensitive, fast responsive, and highly reversible sensing of nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, and nitrous oxide at a ppm-to-sub-ppm level has been achieved by fluorescence measurements upon excitation of various dye-doped deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or hydrophobic DNA thin films spincoated on a thin silver film by electric-field-enhanced evanescent light at surface plasmon resonance. The response time, sensitivity, or selectivity was controlled by combination of dyes and matrices. The present result will make a great many contributions to environmental and medical applications.